A Grounded Theory Study of Effective Global Leadership Development Strategies: Perspectives from Brazil, India, and Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lokkesmoe, Karen Jane

2009-01-01

This qualitative, grounded theory study focuses on global leadership and global leadership development strategies from the perspective of people from three developing countries, Brazil, India, and Nigeria. The study explores conceptualizations of global leadership, the skills required to lead effectively in global contexts, and recommended…

Soil health assessment and maintenance in Central and South Central Brazil

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Brazil has evolved from a food insecure country in the early 1970´s into one of the most important food producers and exporters in the world. During the past 45 years, a science-based advanced tropical agriculture was developed throughout Brazil. Production has increased steadily and productivity ga...

Equity of access to maternal health interventions in Brazil and Colombia: a retrospective study.

PubMed

De La Torre, Amaila; Nikoloski, Zlatko; Mossialos, Elias

2018-04-11

Reducing maternal mortality is a top priority in Latin American countries. Despite the progress in maternal mortality reduction, Brazil and Colombia still lag behind countries at similar levels of development. Using data from the Demographic Health Survey, this study quantified and compared, by means of concentration indices, the socioeconomic-related inequity in access to four key maternal health interventions in Brazil and Colombia. Decomposition analysis of the concentration index was used for two indicators - skilled attendance at birth and postnatal care in Brazil. Coverage levels of the four key maternal health interventions were similar in the two countries. More specifically, we found that coverage of some of the interventions (e.g. ante-natal care and skilled birth assistance) was higher than 90% in both countries. Nevertheless, the concentration index analysis pointed to significant pro-rich inequities in access in all four key interventions in both countries. Interestingly, the analysis showed that Colombia fared slightly better than Brazil in terms of equity in access of the interventions studied. Finally, the decomposition analysis for the presence of a skilled attendant at birth and postnatal care in Brazil underlined the significance of regional disparities, wealth inequalities, inequalities in access to private hospitals, and inequalities in access to private health insurance. There are persistent pro-rich inequities in access to four maternal health interventions in both Brazil and Colombia. The decomposition analysis conducted on Brazilian data suggests the existence of disparities in system capacity and quality of care between the private and the public health services, resulting in inequities of access to maternal health services.

Multicultural Efforts and Affirmative Action in Brazil: Policies Influencing Education in the Americas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murakami-Ramalho, Elizabeth; da Silva, Maria Auxiliadora Lima Dias

2011-01-01

This study explores the intercultural movements toward social justice in education in the Americas, most particularly, North America, and how U.S. multicultural movements and policies influence countries like Brazil. First we analyzed the movement toward multicultural practices to understand how those are developed both in the U.S., and in Brazil.…

Municipal solid waste in Brazil: A review.

PubMed

Alfaia, Raquel Greice de Souza Marotta; Costa, Alyne Moraes; Campos, Juacyara Carbonelli

2017-12-01

The production of municipal solid waste (MSW) represents one of the greatest challenges currently faced by waste managers all around the world. In Brazil, the situation with regard to solid waste management is still deficient in many aspects. In 2015, only 58.7% of the MSW collected in Brazilian cities received appropriate final disposal. It was only as late as 2010 that Brazil established the National Policy on Solid Waste (NPSW) based on the legislation and programmes established in the 1970s in more developed countries. However, the situation with regard to MSW management has changed little since the implementation of the NPSW. Recent data show that, in Brazil, disposal in sanitary landfills is practically the only management approach to MSW. Contrary to expectations, despite the economic recession in 2015 the total annual amount of MSW generated nationwide increased by 1.7%, while in the same period the Brazilian population grew by 0.8% and economic activity decreased by 3.8%. The article describes the panorama with regard to MSW in Brazil from generation to final disposal and discusses the issues related to the delay in implementing the NPSW. The collection of recyclable material, the recycling process, the application of reverse logistics and the determination of the gravimetric composition of MSW in Brazil are also addressed in this article. Finally, a brief comparison is made between MSW management in Brazil and in other countries, the barriers to developing effective waste disposal systems are discussed and some recommendations for future MSW management development in Brazil are given.

A case report and literature overview: Abiotrophia defectiva aortic valve endocarditis in developing countries.

PubMed

Ramos, J N; dos Santos, L S; Vidal, L M R; Pereira, P M A; Salgado, A A; Fortes, C Q; Vieira, V V; Mattos-Guaraldi, A L; Júnior, R H; Damasco, P V

2014-06-01

A fatal case of aortic valve endocarditis due to Abiotrophia defectiva was reported in Brazil. An overview of cases of endocarditis and other human infections related to A. defectiva in developing countries was also accomplished.

[National health research systems in Latin America: a 14-country review].

PubMed

Alger, Jackeline; Becerra-Posada, Francisco; Kennedy, Andrew; Martinelli, Elena; Cuervo, Luis Gabriel

2009-11-01

This article discusses the main features of the national health research systems (NHRS) of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela, based on documents prepared by their country experts who participated in the First Latin American Conference on Research and Innovation for Health held in April 2008, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The review also includes sources cited in the reports, published scientific papers, and expert opinion, as well as regional secondary sources. Six countries reported having formal entities for health research governance and management: Brazil and Costa Rica's entities are led by their ministries of health; while Argentina, Cuba, Ecuador, and Venezuela have entities shared by their ministries of health and ministries of science and technology. Brazil and Ecuador each reported having a comprehensive national policy devoted specifically to health science, technology, and innovation. Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Venezuela reported having established health research priorities. In conclusion, encouraging progress has been made, despite the structural and functional heterogeneity of the study countries' NHRS and their disparate levels of development. Instituting good NHRS governance/management is of utmost importance to how efficiently ministries of health, other government players, and society-at-large can tackle health research.

Evolution of antiretroviral drug costs in Brazil in the context of free and universal access to AIDS treatment.

PubMed

Nunn, Amy S; Fonseca, Elize M; Bastos, Francisco I; Gruskin, Sofia; Salomon, Joshua A

2007-11-13

Little is known about the long-term drug costs associated with treating AIDS in developing countries. Brazil's AIDS treatment program has been cited widely as the developing world's largest and most successful AIDS treatment program. The program guarantees free access to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for all people living with HIV/AIDS in need of treatment. Brazil produces non-patented generic antiretroviral drugs (ARVs), procures many patented ARVs with negotiated price reductions, and recently issued a compulsory license to import one patented ARV. In this study, we investigate the drivers of recent ARV cost trends in Brazil through analysis of drug-specific prices and expenditures between 2001 and 2005. We compared Brazil's ARV prices to those in other low- and middle-income countries. We analyzed trends in drug expenditures for HAART in Brazil from 2001 to 2005 on the basis of cost data disaggregated by each ARV purchased by the Brazilian program. We decomposed the overall changes in expenditures to compare the relative impacts of changes in drug prices and drug purchase quantities. We also estimated the excess costs attributable to the difference between prices for generics in Brazil and the lowest global prices for these drugs. Finally, we estimated the savings attributable to Brazil's reduced prices for patented drugs. Negotiated drug prices in Brazil are lowest for patented ARVs for which generic competition is emerging. In recent years, the prices for efavirenz and lopinavir-ritonavir (lopinavir/r) have been lower in Brazil than in other middle-income countries. In contrast, the price of tenofovir is US$200 higher per patient per year than that reported in other middle-income countries. Despite precipitous price declines for four patented ARVs, total Brazilian drug expenditures doubled, to reach US$414 million in 2005. We find that the major driver of cost increases was increased purchase quantities of six specific drugs: patented lopinavir/r, efavirenz, tenofovir, atazanavir, enfuvirtide, and a locally produced generic, fixed-dose combination of zidovudine and lamivudine (AZT/3TC). Because prices declined for many of the patented drugs that constitute the largest share of drug costs, nearly the entire increase in overall drug expenditures between 2001 and 2005 is attributable to increases in drug quantities. Had all drug quantities been held constant from 2001 until 2005 (or for those drugs entering treatment guidelines after 2001, held constant between the year of introduction and 2005), total costs would have increased by only an estimated US$7 million. We estimate that in the absence of price declines for patented drugs, Brazil would have spent a cumulative total of US$2 billion on drugs for HAART between 2001 and 2005, implying a savings of US$1.2 billion from price declines. Finally, in comparing Brazilian prices for locally produced generic ARVs to the lowest international prices meeting global pharmaceutical quality standards, we find that current prices for Brazil's locally produced generics are generally much higher than corresponding global prices, and note that these prices have risen in Brazil while declining globally. We estimate the excess costs of Brazil's locally produced generics totaled US$110 million from 2001 to 2005. Despite Brazil's more costly generic ARVs, the net result of ARV price changes has been a cost savings of approximately US$1 billion since 2001. HAART costs have nevertheless risen steeply as Brazil has scaled up treatment. These trends may foreshadow future AIDS treatment cost trends in other developing countries as more people start treatment, AIDS patients live longer and move from first-line to second and third-line treatment, AIDS treatment becomes more complex, generic competition emerges, and newer patented drugs become available. The specific application of the Brazilian model to other countries will depend, however, on the strength of their health systems, intellectual property regulations, epidemiological profiles, AIDS treatment guidelines, and differing capacities to produce drugs locally.

AIDS Treatment In Brazil: Impacts And Challenges

PubMed Central

Nunn, Amy Stewart; Fonseca, Elize Massard da; Bastos, Francisco I.; Gruskin, Sofia

2009-01-01

Brazil has one of the developing world's largest, and arguably most successful, AIDS treatment programs. In this paper we review the treatment program, including controversial policies that Brazil has used to promote widespread local and global access to AIDS treatment. We also examine the lessons learned from this program and highlight the challenges Brazil faces, including the rising costs of AIDS treatment and changes in donors' funding priorities. Finally, we explore the relevance of Brazil's treatment program for other countries and its broad implications for global AIDS and health policy. PMID:19597210

Education Policy Outlook: Brazil

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zapata, Juliana; Pont, Beatriz; Figueroa, Diana Toledo; Peterka, Judith; Fraccola, Sylvain

2015-01-01

This policy profile on education in Brazil is part of the "Education Policy Outlook" series, which presents comparative analysis of education policies and reforms across the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. Building on the OECD's substantial comparative and sectorial policy knowledge base, the…

Economic and Non-proliferation Policy Considerations of Uranium Enrichment in Brazil and Argentina

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Short, Steven M.; Phillips, Jon R.; Weimar, Mark R.

2008-09-01

The nuclear development programs of both Argentina and Brazil have, since the 1970s, been premised on the desire for self-sufficiency and assurance of nuclear fuel supply. While military rivalry and mutual distrust led to nuclear weapons related development programs in the 1970s and 1980s, both countries have since terminated these programs. Furthermore, the governments of both countries have pledged their commitment to exclusively non-explosive use of nuclear energy and have signed the Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Utilizing rights provided for under the NPT, both Argentina and Brazil have nuclear fuel production facilities, with the notable exception of enrichment plants, thatmore » provide much of the current indigenous fuel requirements for their nuclear power plants. However, both countries are actively developing enrichment capability to fill this gap. The purpose of this report is to assess the economic basis and non-proliferation policy considerations for indigenous enrichment capability within the context of their desired self-sufficiency and to evaluate possible United States Government policy options.« less

Brazil: The Fight for Childhood in the City. Innocenti Studies. The Urban Child in Difficult Circumstances.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swift, Anthony

This publication is the second report, tailored to a non-specialist audience, of five country case studies under the Urban Child Program of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) International Child Development Center. The crisis of unprotected children and adolescents in Brazil has developed along with rapid industrialization and great…

A model for estimation of potential generation of waste electrical and electronic equipment in Brazil

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Araujo, Marcelo Guimaraes, E-mail: marcel_g@uol.com.br; Magrini, Alessandra; Mahler, Claudio Fernando

2012-02-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Literature of WEEE generation in developing countries is reviewed. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We analyse existing estimates of WEEE generation for Brazil. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We present a model for WEEE generation estimate. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer WEEE generation of 3.77 kg/capita year for 2008 is estimated. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Use of constant lifetime should be avoided for non-mature market products. - Abstract: Sales of electrical and electronic equipment are increasing dramatically in developing countries. Usually, there are no reliable data about quantities of the waste generated. A new law for solid waste management was enacted in Brazil in 2010, and the infrastructure to treat this waste mustmore » be planned, considering the volumes of the different types of electrical and electronic equipment generated. This paper reviews the literature regarding estimation of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), focusing on developing countries, particularly in Latin America. It briefly describes the current WEEE system in Brazil and presents an updated estimate of generation of WEEE. Considering the limited available data in Brazil, a model for WEEE generation estimation is proposed in which different methods are used for mature and non-mature market products. The results showed that the most important variable is the equipment lifetime, which requires a thorough understanding of consumer behavior to estimate. Since Brazil is a rapidly expanding market, the 'boom' in waste generation is still to come. In the near future, better data will provide more reliable estimation of waste generation and a clearer interpretation of the lifetime variable throughout the years.« less

The future of the history of psychology in Argentina and Brazil.

PubMed

Klappenbach, Hugo; Jacó-Vilela, Ana Maria

2016-08-01

This article analyzes the development of the history of psychology in Argentina and Brazil, beginning with the emergence of the history of psychology at the beginning of the 20th century. The paper analyzes that such old historical reconstructions were written by the same authors or institutions that were introducing Psychology in the two countries. That is, the older historical productions in the field of psychology were Whig biased. An analysis of the last 30 years of history of psychology is also provided. The article describes institutional developments, including archives, journals, scientific meetings, and teaching of history of psychology in academic settings. Main groups devoted to history of psychology, both in Argentina and Brazil are described. Finally, it offers some thoughts on the future of history of psychology in the 2 countries. A comparative study between Argentina and Brazil allows to understand strengths and weakness related to institutionalization of History of Psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Brazilian Consensus on Photoprotection

PubMed Central

Schalka, Sérgio; Steiner, Denise; Ravelli, Flávia Naranjo; Steiner, Tatiana; Terena, Aripuanã Cobério; Marçon, Carolina Reato; Ayres, Eloisa Leis; Addor, Flávia Alvim Sant'anna; Miot, Helio Amante; Ponzio, Humberto; Duarte, Ida; Neffá, Jane; da Cunha, José Antônio Jabur; Boza, Juliana Catucci; Samorano, Luciana de Paula; Corrêa, Marcelo de Paula; Maia, Marcus; Nasser, Nilton; Leite, Olga Maria Rodrigues Ribeiro; Lopes, Otávio Sergio; Oliveira, Pedro Dantas; Meyer, Renata Leal Bregunci; Cestari, Tânia; dos Reis, Vitor Manoel Silva; Rego, Vitória Regina Pedreira de Almeida

2014-01-01

Brazil is a country of continental dimensions with a large heterogeneity of climates and massive mixing of the population. Almost the entire national territory is located between the Equator and the Tropic of Capricorn, and the Earth axial tilt to the south certainly makes Brazil one of the countries of the world with greater extent of land in proximity to the sun. The Brazilian coastline, where most of its population lives, is more than 8,500 km long. Due to geographic characteristics and cultural trends, Brazilians are among the peoples with the highest annual exposure to the sun. Epidemiological data show a continuing increase in the incidence of non-melanoma and melanoma skin cancers. Photoprotection can be understood as a set of measures aimed at reducing sun exposure and at preventing the development of acute and chronic actinic damage. Due to the peculiarities of Brazilian territory and culture, it would not be advisable to replicate the concepts of photoprotection from other developed countries, places with completely different climates and populations. Thus the Brazilian Society of Dermatology has developed the Brazilian Consensus on Photoprotection, the first official document on photoprotection developed in Brazil for Brazilians, with recommendations on matters involving photoprotection. PMID:25761256

SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF LOW FERTILITY IN BRAZIL.

PubMed

Castanheira, Helena Cruz; Kohler, Hans-Peter

2017-11-01

An increasing number of developing countries are experiencing below replacement fertility rates. Although the factors associated with low fertility in developed countries have been widely explored in the literature, studies of low fertility in middle- and low-income countries continue to be rare. To help fill this gap, Brazil was used as a case study to assess whether human development, gender equality and the ability of mothers with young children to work are associated with the likelihood of married or cohabiting women to have a child. For this purpose, multilevel logistic regressions were estimated using the 1991, 2000 and 2010 Brazilian Demographic Censuses. It was found that human development was negatively associated with fertility in the three periods analysed. Gender equality and the ability of mothers with young children to work were positively associated with the odds of having higher order births in Brazil in 2000 and 2010. In 1991, these variables were not associated with higher order births, and gender equality was negatively associated with first births. The positive association found in 2000 and 2010 may constitute a reversal of the relationship that in all likelihood prevailed earlier in the demographic transition when gender equality was most likely negatively correlated with fertility levels.

Studies on forensic nursing in Brazil: a systematic review of the literature.

PubMed

Pereira de Paiva, M H; Pinheiro Lages, L; Cavalcanti de Medeiros, Z

2017-06-01

To identify and synthesize the national and international literature on forensic nursing in Brazil. Forensic nursing is a new specialty to the nursing practice in Brazil, being recognized by the Federal Nursing Council of Brazil in 2011. In 2016, the first forensic nursing specialization programme was authorized in the country. The implementation of forensic nursing specialty in Brazil marks new possibilities for the nursing practice, making it possible for nurses to develop additional skills to intervene in various situations under the Brazilian Unified Healthcare System. A systematic search of the literature was conducted using the keyword 'Forensic nursing' in combination with 'Brazil'. LILACS, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus and Web of Science databases were searched. Studies were also retrieved from the grey literature. Once literature had been identified, a thematic analysis was undertaken in order to extract themes, which were: establishment of the forensic nursing specialty and its contributions to Brazil and its practical implications. Eight manuscripts and 20 studies from the grey literature were included in the final review. Most studies (54%) were literature reviews that indicated forensic nursing as an emerging specialty in Brazil, addressing educational, instructional, communicative or contextual aspects of the specialty in the country. In the nursing profession in Brazil, few studies exist on forensic nursing and those are limited to short communications. Although most studies address the definition of forensic nursing, others present its implications in various situations such as intimate partner violence, domestic violence, sexual abuse and elder mistreatment. Despite the study limitations, it provides evidence that forensic nursing has been silently implemented in the country with the need for more evidence-based studies to support its constitution as a specialty in Brazil. © 2016 International Council of Nurses.

Proposed hydrologic analyses of streamflow for Brazil

USGS Publications Warehouse

Riggs, Henry Chiles

1974-01-01

Streamflow records are evaluated for the Rio Jacui basin in the state of Rio Grande Sul, Brazil, in reference to data reliability, length of record, and density of areal coverage. Availability of water is a factor in the development of a country, and surface water is of especial importance in Brazil. This report is intended as a reference for further investigation of the flow characteristic of the basin to provide (1) information for utilization of streamflow and (2) information to improve the data collection and analytic procedures. In addition the evaluation study can serve as a pilot for other developing river basins in Brazil. (Woodard-USGS)

Defense or Development? A Decisive Question in Latin America

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-03-05

the national budget a higher military expenditure. Brazil It is the largest, more populated, and most influential country in the region . Exploiting...number of AIDS-related deaths has fallen. Thanks to the lack of a regional traditional threat, Brazil has oriented its efforts toward the interior of...unruly region at the convergence of the Argentina- Brazil -Paraguay borders and the shared frontier with Colombia constitute likely future problems. The

Bibliometric study of research and development for neglected diseases in the BRICS.

PubMed

Bai, Jing; Li, Wei; Huang, Yang-Mu; Guo, Yan

2016-09-06

Large numbers of people are suffering from a group of diseases that mainly affect developing countries, as there are no available or affordable products for prevention or treatment. Research and development (R&D) for these diseases is still a low priority on the health agenda. Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) are quickly growing economies and having more and more positive impact on global health. Additionally, their R&D capacity is believed to be enhanced through decades of investment in education and life science research. The BRICS, as a group of emerging and developing countries, are expected to make greater contributions to solving the problem that mainly affects the entire developing countries community. However, there has been little research to provide a macroscopic overview of BRICS' effort in R&D for neglected diseases. The aim of this study is to investigate scientific production in BRICS countries in this area and their main research hotspots. Global relevant literature was searched without time limits through PubMed and high yield countries were identified using GoPubMed. Literature up to the end of 2013 from the BRICS was obtained and high frequency words were extracted and clustered using Bibliography Item Co-occurrence Mining System 2.0 (BICOMS) and Graphical Clustering Toolkit 1.0 (gCLUTO). In total, 32, 47, 51, 31 and 44 high frequency words from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa respectively were extracted for clustering analysis. The clustering indicated that eight diseases were research hotspots in BRICS countries. India had the most extensive hotspots and Brazil came in second. The other three countries shared common research foci: helminthiasis, Human Immunodeficiency Virus infection and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) and tuberculosis. Developed countries still make the majority of contributions to R&D on neglected diseases, but BRICS countries are playing a growing role. Instead of the "big three diseases" (HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis) recognized by WHO, the BRICS focus more on major causes of disease burden in their own countries. Disease burden and domestic policy, especially patent law, exert primary influence on the research focus.

Primates in peril: the significance of Brazil, Madagascar, Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo for global primate conservation.

PubMed

Estrada, Alejandro; Garber, Paul A; Mittermeier, Russell A; Wich, Serge; Gouveia, Sidney; Dobrovolski, Ricardo; Nekaris, K A I; Nijman, Vincent; Rylands, Anthony B; Maisels, Fiona; Williamson, Elizabeth A; Bicca-Marques, Julio; Fuentes, Agustin; Jerusalinsky, Leandro; Johnson, Steig; Rodrigues de Melo, Fabiano; Oliveira, Leonardo; Schwitzer, Christoph; Roos, Christian; Cheyne, Susan M; Martins Kierulff, Maria Cecilia; Raharivololona, Brigitte; Talebi, Mauricio; Ratsimbazafy, Jonah; Supriatna, Jatna; Boonratana, Ramesh; Wedana, Made; Setiawan, Arif

2018-01-01

Primates occur in 90 countries, but four-Brazil, Madagascar, Indonesia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)-harbor 65% of the world's primate species (439) and 60% of these primates are Threatened, Endangered, or Critically Endangered (IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017-3). Considering their importance for global primate conservation, we examine the anthropogenic pressures each country is facing that place their primate populations at risk. Habitat loss and fragmentation are main threats to primates in Brazil, Madagascar, and Indonesia. However, in DRC hunting for the commercial bushmeat trade is the primary threat. Encroachment on primate habitats driven by local and global market demands for food and non-food commodities hunting, illegal trade, the proliferation of invasive species, and human and domestic-animal borne infectious diseases cause habitat loss, population declines, and extirpation. Modeling agricultural expansion in the 21st century for the four countries under a worst-case-scenario, showed a primate range contraction of 78% for Brazil, 72% for Indonesia, 62% for Madagascar, and 32% for DRC. These pressures unfold in the context of expanding human populations with low levels of development. Weak governance across these four countries may limit effective primate conservation planning. We examine landscape and local approaches to effective primate conservation policies and assess the distribution of protected areas and primates in each country. Primates in Brazil and Madagascar have 38% of their range inside protected areas, 17% in Indonesia and 14% in DRC, suggesting that the great majority of primate populations remain vulnerable. We list the key challenges faced by the four countries to avert primate extinctions now and in the future. In the short term, effective law enforcement to stop illegal hunting and illegal forest destruction is absolutely key. Long-term success can only be achieved by focusing local and global public awareness, and actively engaging with international organizations, multinational businesses and consumer nations to reduce unsustainable demands on the environment. Finally, the four primate range countries need to ensure that integrated, sustainable land-use planning for economic development includes the maintenance of biodiversity and intact, functional natural ecosystems.

Primates in peril: the significance of Brazil, Madagascar, Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo for global primate conservation

PubMed Central

Mittermeier, Russell A.; Wich, Serge; Gouveia, Sidney; Dobrovolski, Ricardo; Nijman, Vincent; Rylands, Anthony B.; Johnson, Steig; Rodrigues de Melo, Fabiano; Schwitzer, Christoph; Roos, Christian; Cheyne, Susan M.; Martins Kierulff, Maria Cecilia; Raharivololona, Brigitte; Ratsimbazafy, Jonah; Supriatna, Jatna; Boonratana, Ramesh; Wedana, Made; Setiawan, Arif

2018-01-01

Primates occur in 90 countries, but four—Brazil, Madagascar, Indonesia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)—harbor 65% of the world’s primate species (439) and 60% of these primates are Threatened, Endangered, or Critically Endangered (IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017-3). Considering their importance for global primate conservation, we examine the anthropogenic pressures each country is facing that place their primate populations at risk. Habitat loss and fragmentation are main threats to primates in Brazil, Madagascar, and Indonesia. However, in DRC hunting for the commercial bushmeat trade is the primary threat. Encroachment on primate habitats driven by local and global market demands for food and non-food commodities hunting, illegal trade, the proliferation of invasive species, and human and domestic-animal borne infectious diseases cause habitat loss, population declines, and extirpation. Modeling agricultural expansion in the 21st century for the four countries under a worst-case-scenario, showed a primate range contraction of 78% for Brazil, 72% for Indonesia, 62% for Madagascar, and 32% for DRC. These pressures unfold in the context of expanding human populations with low levels of development. Weak governance across these four countries may limit effective primate conservation planning. We examine landscape and local approaches to effective primate conservation policies and assess the distribution of protected areas and primates in each country. Primates in Brazil and Madagascar have 38% of their range inside protected areas, 17% in Indonesia and 14% in DRC, suggesting that the great majority of primate populations remain vulnerable. We list the key challenges faced by the four countries to avert primate extinctions now and in the future. In the short term, effective law enforcement to stop illegal hunting and illegal forest destruction is absolutely key. Long-term success can only be achieved by focusing local and global public awareness, and actively engaging with international organizations, multinational businesses and consumer nations to reduce unsustainable demands on the environment. Finally, the four primate range countries need to ensure that integrated, sustainable land-use planning for economic development includes the maintenance of biodiversity and intact, functional natural ecosystems. PMID:29922508

Instructional Technology in Brazil: A Status Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saettler, Paul

1973-01-01

A status report on the evolving conceptions of instructional technology and current applications in Brazil. A complementary purpose is to summarize those conditions which vitally influence the general characteristics of the Brazilian educational system and the nature of instructional technology in this major developing country of the world.…

South America and Education for Sustainable Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ostuni, Josefina

2006-01-01

Three South American countries, Argentina, Chile and Brazil, have been selected in order to study the impact of the document "The United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development". In these countries, whose people react energetically against any attempt to break the environmental balance, the synergic power of education is…

The Evolution of Science in a Latin-American Country: Genetics and Genomics in Brazil.

PubMed

Salzano, Francisco M

2018-03-01

This article begins with a brief overview of the history of Brazil and that of Brazilian science, from the European discovery of the country in 1500 up to the early 21st century. The history of the fields of genetics and genomics, from the 1930s, is then first examined from the focal point of the lives and publications of the three persons who are generally considered to be the founders of genetics in Brazil (C. A. Krug, F. G. Brieger, and A. Dreyfus), and then by 12 other researchers up to 1999. The area of molecular genetics and genomics from 2000 to present is then described. Despite the problems of underdevelopment and the periodical political and economic crises that have affected life in Brazil, the fields of genetics and genomics in Brazil can be regarded as having developed at an appropriate pace, and have contributed in several major ways to world science. Copyright © 2018 by the Genetics Society of America.

Biopharmaceutical industry-sponsored global clinical trials in emerging countries.

PubMed

Alvarenga, Lenio Souza; Martins, Elisabeth Nogueira

2010-01-01

To evaluate biopharmaceutical industry-sponsored clinical trials placed in countries previously described as emerging regions for clinical research, and potential differences for those placed in Brazil. Data regarding recruitment of subjects for clinical trials were retrieved from www.clinicaltrials.gov on February 2nd 2009. Proportions of sites in each country were compared among emerging countries. Multiple logistic regressions were performed to evaluate whether trial placement in Brazil could be predicted by trial location in other countries and/or by trial features. A total of 8,501 trials were then active and 1,170 (13.8%) included sites in emerging countries (i.e., Argentina, Brazil, China, Czech Republic, Hungary, India, Mexico, Poland, Russia, South Korea, and South Africa). South Korea and China presented a significantly higher proportion of sites when compared to other countries (p<0.05). Multiple logistic regressions detected no negative correlation between placement in other countries when compared to Brazil. Trials involving subjects with less than 15 years of age, those with targeted recruitment of at least 1,000 subjects, and seven sponsors were identified as significant predictors of trial placement in Brazil. No clear direct competition between Brazil and other emerging countries was detected. South Korea showed the higher proportion of sites and ranked third in total number of trials, appearing as a major player in attractiveness for biopharmaceutical industry-sponsored clinical trials.

Public Health and Social Ideas in Modern Brazil

PubMed Central

Lima, Nísia Trindade

2007-01-01

Public health in Brazil achieved remarkable development at the turn of the 20th century thanks in part to physicians and social thinkers who made it central to their proposals for “modernizing” the country. Public health was more than a set of medical and technical measures; it was fundamental to the project of nation building. I trace the interplay between public health and social ideas in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Physicians and social thinkers challenged the traditional belief that Brazil’s sociocultural and ethnic diversity was an obstacle to modernization, and they promoted public health as the best prescription for national unity. Public health ideas in developing countries such as Brazil may have a greater impact when they are intertwined with social thought and with the processes of nation building and construction of a modern society. PMID:17538074

Impact of income inequality on life expectancy in a highly unequal developing country: the case of Brazil.

PubMed

Rasella, Davide; Aquino, Rosana; Barreto, Mauricio Lima

2013-08-01

Few studies have analysed the effects of income inequality on health in developing countries, particularly during economic growth, reduction of social disparities and reinforcement of the welfare and healthcare system. We evaluated the association between income inequality and life expectancy in Brazil, including the effect of social and health interventions, in the period 2000-2009. A panel dataset was created for the 27 Brazilian states over the referred time period. Multivariable linear regressions were performed using fixed-effects estimation with heteroscedasticity and serial correlation robust SEs. Models were fitted for life expectancy as a dependent variable, using the Gini index or a percentile income dispersion ratio as the main independent variable, and for demographic, socioeconomic and healthcare-related determinants as covariates. The Gini index, as the other measure of income inequality, was negatively associated with life expectancy (p<0.05), even after adjustment for all the socioeconomic and health-related covariates. The Family Health Program, the main primary healthcare (PHC) programme of the country, was positively associated with life expectancy (p<0.05). In recent years, effective social policies have enabled Brazil to partially reduce absolute poverty and income inequality, contributing-together with PHC-to decreasing death rates in the population. Reducing income inequality may represent an important step towards improving health and increasing life expectancy, particularly in developing countries where inequalities are high.

The Systems Analysis Approach to Satellite Education in Brazil.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cusack, Mary Ann

The SACI project in Brazil has as a main target the country's primary teachers. The SACI Project objectives are: (1) to test the efficiency of an educational program using audiovisual media (particularly television, radio, and slow scan) at the primary level; (2) to develop television production techniques; (3) to train teachers in the utilization…

Brazilian National Assessment Data and Educational Policy: An Empirical Illustration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paget, Christine L.; Malmberg, Lars-Erik; Martelli, Dale R.

2016-01-01

In concert with other Latin American countries, Brazil has developed and implemented its own national assessment system for the purpose of monitoring, evaluating and improving their educational system. Prova Brasil is a census-based bi-annual assessment of Portuguese and mathematics achievement of middle school students in Brazil accompanied by…

Mental health economics: insights from Brazil.

PubMed

Cruz, Luciane; Lima, Ana Flavia Da Silva; Graeff-Martins, Ana; Maia, Carlos Renato Moreira; Ziegelmann, Patricia; Miguel, Sandoro; Fleck, Marcelo; Polanczyk, Carisi

2013-04-01

As the responsibility and demand on health care grows and resources do not increase at the same pace, the healthcare system has been forced to reconsider the benefits and costs of their actions, to ensure a rational and effective decision-making process regarding the adoption of interventions and allocation of resources. Cost-effectiveness (CE) studies represent one of the basic tools to achieve this goal. To present the current state of Health Technology Assessment (HTA) and health economics in mental health in Brazil and its importance to the decision-making process. Descriptive paper on HTA and health economics in Brazil. Databases from government and universities as well as some scientific databases to assess the information are presented. Economic analysis to evaluate interventions in mental health care is a relatively recent addition to the field of health economics; in Brazil, it is also considered a topic within Epidemiology research area. There have been an increased number of studies developed in high-income countries. However, there are fewer CE studies in low- and middle-income ones. Psychiatric disorders represent a significant burden in developing countries, where resources devoted to health care are even scarcer.

National Human Resource Development: A Multi-Level Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nair, Prakash Krishnan; Ke, Jie; Al-Emadi, Mohammed A. S.; Coningham, Beatriz; Conser, Jessica; Cornachione, Edgar; Devassy, Seeja Mary; Dhirani, Khalil

2007-01-01

Although there are have been some studies on National Human Resource Development and HRD practices in certain countries, literature shows that we have just scratched the surface in terms of the number of countries we know about. This exploratory study reviews research associated with HRD policies and practices in Brazil, China, India, Italy,…

Perioperative cardiac arrest: an evolutionary analysis of the intra-operative cardiac arrest incidence in tertiary centers in Brazil.

PubMed

Vane, Matheus Fachini; do Prado Nuzzi, Rafael Ximenes; Aranha, Gustavo Fabio; da Luz, Vinicius Fernando; Sá Malbouisson, Luiz Marcelo; Gonzalez, Maria Margarita Castro; Auler, José Otávio Costa; Carmona, Maria José Carvalho

2016-01-01

Great changes in medicine have taken place over the last 25 years worldwide. These changes in technologies, patient risks, patient profile, and laws regulating the medicine have impacted the incidence of cardiac arrest. It has been postulated that the incidence of intraoperative cardiac arrest has decreased over the years, especially in developed countries. The authors hypothesized that, as in the rest of the world, the incidence of intraoperative cardiac arrest is decreasing in Brazil, a developing country. The aim of this study was to search the literature to evaluate the publications that relate the incidence of intraoperative cardiac arrest in Brazil and analyze the trend in the incidence of intraoperative cardiac arrest. There were 4 articles that met our inclusion criteria, resulting in 204,072 patients undergoing regional or general anesthesia in two tertiary and academic hospitals, totalizing 627 cases of intraoperative cardiac arrest. The mean intraoperative cardiac arrest incidence for the 25 years period was 30.72:10,000 anesthesias. There was a decrease from 39:10,000 anesthesias to 13:10,000 anesthesias in the analyzed period, with the related lethality from 48.3% to 30.8%. Also, the main causes of anesthesia-related cause of mortality changed from machine malfunction and drug overdose to hypovolemia and respiratory causes. There was a clear reduction in the incidence of intraoperative cardiac arrest in the last 25 years in Brazil. This reduction is seen worldwide and might be a result of multiple factors, including new laws regulating the medicine in Brazil, incorporation of technologies, better human development level of the country, and better patient care. Copyright © 2014 Sociedade Brasileira de Anestesiologia. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Leading countries in mental health research in Latin America and the Caribbean.

PubMed

Razzouk, Denise; Zorzetto, Ricardo; Dubugras, Maria Thereza; Gerolin, Jerônimo; Mari, Jair de Jesus

2007-06-01

The prevalence and burden of mental disorders have been growing in Latin-American and the Caribbean countries and research is an important tool for changing this scenario. The objective of this paper is to describe the development of mental health research in Latin American and the Caribbean countries from 1995 to 2005. The indicators of productivity were based on the ISI Essential Science Indicators database. We compared the number of papers and citations, as well as the number of citations per paper between 1995 and 2005 for each country ranked in the Essential Science Indicators. Eleven Latin-American countries were ranked in the ISI database and six of them demonstrated a higher level of development in mental health research: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Venezuela. Mexico produced the largest number of papers, while Brazil showed a larger number of citations per paper. Mental health research is still incipient in Latin American and the Caribbean countries, and many challenges remain to be overcome. Also, it is necessary to establish the research priorities, to allocate more funding, and to improve researchers training in research method and design.

Meeting Report: Development of Environmental Health Indicators in Brazil and Other Countries in the Americas

PubMed Central

Carneiro, Fernando F.; Oliveira, Mara Lúcia C.; Netto, Guilherme F.; Galvão, Luis A.C.; Cancio, Jacira A.; Bonini, Estela M.; Corvalan, Carlos F.

2006-01-01

This report summarizes the Brazilian experience on the design and implementation of environmental health, with contributions from Argentina, Canada, and Cuba, presented at the International Symposium on the Development of Indicators for Environmental Health Integrated Management, held in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil, on 17–18 June 2004. The methodology for the development of environmental health indicators has been used as a reference in the implementation of environmental health surveillance in Brazil. This methodology has provided tools and processes to facilitate the understanding and to measure the determinants of risks to environmental health, to help decision makers control those risks. PMID:16966096

Modeling HIV/AIDS Drug Price Determinants in Brazil: Is Generic Competition a Myth?

PubMed Central

Meiners, Constance; Sagaon-Teyssier, Luis; Hasenclever, Lia; Moatti, Jean-Paul

2011-01-01

Background Brazil became the first developing country to guarantee free and universal access to HIV/AIDS treatment, with antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) being delivered to nearly 190,000 patients. The analysis of ARV price evolution and market dynamics in Brazil can help anticipate issues soon to afflict other developing countries, as the 2010 revision of the World Health Organization guidelines shifts demand towards more expensive treatments, and, at the same time, current evolution of international legislation and trade agreements on intellectual property rights may reduce availability of generic drugs for HIV care. Methods and Findings Our analyses are based on effective prices paid for ARV procurement in Brazil between 1996 and 2009. Data panel structure was exploited to gather ex-ante and ex-post information and address various sources of statistical bias. In-difference estimation offered in-depth information on ARV market characteristics which significantly influence prices. Although overall ARV prices follow a declining trend, changing characteristics in the generic segment help explain recent increase in generic ARV prices. Our results show that generic suppliers are more likely to respond to factors influencing demand size and market competition, while originator suppliers tend to set prices strategically to offset compulsory licensing threats and generic competition. Significance In order to guarantee the long term sustainability of access to antiretroviral treatment, our findings highlight the importance of preserving and stimulating generic market dynamics to sustain developing countries' bargaining power in price negotiations undertaken with originator companies. PMID:21858138

Modeling HIV/AIDS drug price determinants in Brazil: is generic competition a myth?

PubMed

Meiners, Constance; Sagaon-Teyssier, Luis; Hasenclever, Lia; Moatti, Jean-Paul

2011-01-01

Brazil became the first developing country to guarantee free and universal access to HIV/AIDS treatment, with antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) being delivered to nearly 190,000 patients. The analysis of ARV price evolution and market dynamics in Brazil can help anticipate issues soon to afflict other developing countries, as the 2010 revision of the World Health Organization guidelines shifts demand towards more expensive treatments, and, at the same time, current evolution of international legislation and trade agreements on intellectual property rights may reduce availability of generic drugs for HIV care. Our analyses are based on effective prices paid for ARV procurement in Brazil between 1996 and 2009. Data panel structure was exploited to gather ex-ante and ex-post information and address various sources of statistical bias. In-difference estimation offered in-depth information on ARV market characteristics which significantly influence prices. Although overall ARV prices follow a declining trend, changing characteristics in the generic segment help explain recent increase in generic ARV prices. Our results show that generic suppliers are more likely to respond to factors influencing demand size and market competition, while originator suppliers tend to set prices strategically to offset compulsory licensing threats and generic competition. In order to guarantee the long term sustainability of access to antiretroviral treatment, our findings highlight the importance of preserving and stimulating generic market dynamics to sustain developing countries' bargaining power in price negotiations undertaken with originator companies.

The rise of health biotechnology research in Latin America: A scientometric analysis of health biotechnology production and impact in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba and Mexico

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

This paper analyzes the patterns of health biotechnology publications in six Latin American countries from 2001 to 2015. The countries studied were Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba and Mexico. Before our study, there were no data available on HBT development in half of the Latin-American countries we studied, i.e., Argentina, Colombia and Chile. To include these countries in a scientometric analysis of HBT provides fuller coverage of HBT development in Latin America. The scientometric study used the Web of Science database to identify health biotechnology publications. The total amount of health biotechnology production in the world during the period studied was about 400,000 papers. A total of 1.2% of these papers, were authored by the six Latin American countries in this study. The results show a significant growth in health biotechnology publications in Latin America despite some of the countries having social and political instability, fluctuations in their gross domestic expenditure in research and development or a trade embargo that limits opportunities for scientific development. The growth in the field of some of the Latin American countries studied was larger than the growth of most industrialized nations. Still, the visibility of the Latin American research (measured in the number of citations) did not reach the world average, with the exception of Colombia. The main producers of health biotechnology papers in Latin America were universities, except in Cuba were governmental institutions were the most frequent producers. The countries studied were active in international research collaboration with Colombia being the most active (64% of papers co-authored internationally), whereas Brazil was the least active (35% of papers). Still, the domestic collaboration was even more prevalent, with Chile being the most active in such collaboration (85% of papers co-authored domestically) and Argentina the least active (49% of papers). We conclude that the Latin American countries studied are increasing their health biotechnology publishing. This strategy could contribute to the development of innovations that may solve local health problems in the region. PMID:29415003

The rise of health biotechnology research in Latin America: A scientometric analysis of health biotechnology production and impact in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba and Mexico.

PubMed

León-de la O, Dante Israel; Thorsteinsdóttir, Halla; Calderón-Salinas, José Víctor

2018-01-01

This paper analyzes the patterns of health biotechnology publications in six Latin American countries from 2001 to 2015. The countries studied were Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba and Mexico. Before our study, there were no data available on HBT development in half of the Latin-American countries we studied, i.e., Argentina, Colombia and Chile. To include these countries in a scientometric analysis of HBT provides fuller coverage of HBT development in Latin America. The scientometric study used the Web of Science database to identify health biotechnology publications. The total amount of health biotechnology production in the world during the period studied was about 400,000 papers. A total of 1.2% of these papers, were authored by the six Latin American countries in this study. The results show a significant growth in health biotechnology publications in Latin America despite some of the countries having social and political instability, fluctuations in their gross domestic expenditure in research and development or a trade embargo that limits opportunities for scientific development. The growth in the field of some of the Latin American countries studied was larger than the growth of most industrialized nations. Still, the visibility of the Latin American research (measured in the number of citations) did not reach the world average, with the exception of Colombia. The main producers of health biotechnology papers in Latin America were universities, except in Cuba were governmental institutions were the most frequent producers. The countries studied were active in international research collaboration with Colombia being the most active (64% of papers co-authored internationally), whereas Brazil was the least active (35% of papers). Still, the domestic collaboration was even more prevalent, with Chile being the most active in such collaboration (85% of papers co-authored domestically) and Argentina the least active (49% of papers). We conclude that the Latin American countries studied are increasing their health biotechnology publishing. This strategy could contribute to the development of innovations that may solve local health problems in the region.

Aquaculture expansion in Brazilian freshwaters against the Aichi Biodiversity Targets.

PubMed

Lima Junior, Dilermando Pereira; Magalhães, André Lincoln Barroso; Pelicice, Fernando Mayer; Vitule, Jean Ricardo Simões; Azevedo-Santos, Valter M; Orsi, Mário Luís; Simberloff, Daniel; Agostinho, Angelo Antônio

2018-05-01

The Convention on Biological Diversity proposed the Aichi Biodiversity Targets to improve conservation policies and to balance economic development, social welfare, and the maintenance of biodiversity/ecosystem services. Brazil is a signatory of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and is the most diverse country in terms of freshwater fish, but its national policies have supported the development of unsustainable commercial and ornamental aquaculture, which has led to serious disturbances to inland ecosystems and natural resources. We analyzed the development of Brazilian aquaculture to show how current aquaculture expansion conflicts with all 20 Aichi Targets. This case suggests that Brazil and many other megadiverse developing countries will not meet international conservation targets, stressing the need for new strategies, such as the environmental management system, to improve biodiversity conservation.

Spatiotemporal dynamics of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 in Brazil during the pandemic and post-pandemic periods.

PubMed

Manito, Alessandra C B; Gräf, Tiago; Lunge, Vagner R; Ikuta, Nilo

2017-06-15

Influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 was responsible for the first global flu pandemic in 21st century affecting all the world. In Brazil, A(H1N1)pdm09 is still circulating as a seasonal virus, causing deaths every year. Nevertheless, the viral diffusion process that yearly seeds new influenza strains in the country was not investigated yet. The aim of the current study was to describe the phylodynamics and phylogeography of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 in Brazil between 2009 and 2014. Neuraminidase sequences from Brazil and other regions of the World were retrieved and analyzed. Bayesian phylogeographic and phylodynamic model approaches were used to reconstruct the spatiotemporal and demographic history of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 in Brazil (divided in subtropical and tropical regions) and related countries. Our analyses reveal that new influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 lineages are seeded in Brazil in almost each year and the main sources of viral diversity are North America, Europe and East Asia. The phylogeographic asymmetric model also revealed that Brazil, mainly the subtropical region, seeds viral lineages into other countries. Coalescent analysis of the compiled dataset reconstructed the peak of viral transmissions in the winter months of Southern hemisphere. The results presented in this study can be informative to public health, guide intervention strategies and in the understanding of flu virus migration, which helps to predict antigenic drift and consequently the developing of new vaccines. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Mapping Music Education Research in Brazil and Argentina: The British Impact

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hentschke, Liane; Martinez, Isabel

2004-01-01

In this brief article we share with our colleagues around the world the British impact on the development of music education and psychology of music research in Brazil and Argentina. Although both countries are pursuing similar research policies, their research areas differ. Brazilian research on music education has had its focus on curriculum…

"Soft Power", Educational Governance and Political Consensus in Brazil

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rambla, Xavier

2012-01-01

This article analyses the "soft power" that the Federal Government of Brazil has gained by designing and implementing a very ambitious Plan for the Development of Education. It draws on fieldwork carried out in the country in 2009 and 2010 in order to conduct a discourse analysis of the strategy deployed by the key political agents. The…

Obstacles to Television Reform in Latin America--A New Look at the Failures.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fox, Elizabeth; Roncagliolo, Rafael

This paper briefly discusses television reform in five Latin American countries where media reform occurred at roughly the same time, i.e., Peru, Chile, Venezuela, Mexico, and Brazil. The development of television in Colombia, where no reform occurred, is compared with television development in the other countries. The main causes that gave rise…

Brazil-Africa technical cooperation in health: what's its relevance to the post-Busan debate on 'aid effectiveness'?

PubMed

Russo, Giuliano; Cabral, Lídia; Ferrinho, Paulo

2013-01-22

Brazil is rapidly becoming an influential player in development cooperation, also thanks to its high-visibility health projects in Africa and Latin America. The 4th High-level Forum on Aid Effectiveness held in Busan in late 2011 marked a change in the way development cooperation is conceptualised. The present paper explores the issue of emerging donors' contribution to the post-Busan debate on aid effectiveness by looking at Brazil's health cooperation projects in Portuguese-speaking Africa. We first consider Brazil's health technical cooperation within the country's wider cooperation programme, aiming to identify its key characteristics, claimed principles and values, and analysing how these translate into concrete projects in Portuguese-speaking African countries. Then we discuss the extent to which the Busan conference has changed the way development cooperation is conceptualised, and how Brazil's technical cooperation health projects fit within the new framework. We conclude that, by adopting new concepts on health cooperation and challenging established paradigms--in particular on health systems and HIV/AIDS fight--the Brazilian health experience has already contributed to shape the emerging consensus on development effectiveness. However, its impact on the field is still largely unscrutinised, and its projects seem to only selectively comply with some of the shared principles agreed upon in Busan. Although Brazilian cooperation is still a model in the making, not immune from contradictions and shortcomings, it should be seen as enriching the debate on development principles, thus offering alternative solutions to advance the discourse on cooperation effectiveness in health.

Ministers of Health: short-term tenure for long-term goals?

PubMed

Ferraz, Marcos Bosi; Azevedo, Rafael Teixeira

2011-03-01

Healthcare investments should consider short and long-term demands. The objectives here were to compare the average tenures of ministers of health in Brazil and in another 22 countries and to evaluate the relationship between ministers' tenures and a number of indicators. Descriptive study conducted at Centro Paulista de Economia da Saúde (CPES). Twenty-two countries with the highest Human Development Indices (HDIs) and Brazil were included. The number of ministers over the past 20 years was investigated through each country's Ministry of Health website. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to compare the number of ministers in each country with that country's indicators. The Mann-Whitney test was used to compare ministers' tenures in Brazil and other countries. The mean tenure (standard deviation, SD) of Brazilian ministers of health was 15 (12) months, a period that is statistically significantly shorter than the mean tenure of 33 (18) months in the other 22 countries (P < 0.05). There was a moderate and statistically significant positive correlation between the number of ministers and mortality rates for several conditions. The number of ministers also presented moderate and statistically significant negative correlations with per capita total healthcare expenditure (r = -0.567) and with per capita government healthcare expenditure (r = -0.530). On average, ministers of health have extremely short tenures. There is an urgent need to think and plan healthcare systems from a long-term perspective.

A prospective analysis of Brazilian biofuel economy: Land use, infrastructure development and fuel pricing policies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nunez Amortegui, Hector Mauricio

Being the two largest ethanol producers in the world, transportation fuel policies in Brazil and the U.S. affect not only their domestic markets but also the global food and biofuel economy. Hence, the complex biofuel policy climate in these countries leaves the public with unclear conclusions about the prospects for supply and trade of agricultural commodities and biofuels. In this dissertation I develop a price endogenous mathematical programming model to simulate and analyze the impacts of biofuel policies in Brazil and the U.S. on land use in these countries, agricultural commodity and transportation fuel markets, trade, and global environment. The model maximizes the social surplus represented by the sum of producers' and consumers' surpluses, including selected agricultural commodity markets and fuel markets in the U.S., Brazil, Argentina, China, and the Rest-of-the-World (ROW), subject to resource limitations, material balances, technical constraints, and policy restrictions. Consumers' surplus is derived from consumption of agricultural commodities and transportation fuels by vehicles that generate vehicle-kilometers-traveled (VKT). While in the other regional components aggregate supply and demand functions are assumed for the commodities included in the analysis, the agricultural supply component is regionally disaggregated for Brazil and the U.S., and the transportation fuel sector is regionally disaggregated for Brazil. The U.S. agricultural supply component includes production of fourteen major food/feed crops, including soybeans, corn and wheat, and cellulosic biofuel feedstocks. The Brazil component includes eight major annual crops, including soybeans, corn, wheat, and rice, and sugarcane as the energy crop. A particular emphasis is given to the beef-cattle production in Brazil and the potential for livestock semi-intensification in Brazilian pasture grazing systems as a prospective pathway for releasing new croplands. In the fuel sector of both country components, ethanol and gasoline are assumed to be perfect substitutes and combined in accordance with the specified blending regulations to generate VKT. For gasoline, an upward sloping supply function is assumed for the U.S., while in the case of Brazil a perfectly elastic supply function is used reflecting the pricing policy implemented in recent years. Consumers' driving behavior and fuel choice are determined by the model in accordance with the composition of the vehicle fleets in both countries. The model also simulates the economic impacts of transportation infrastructure developments in Brazil, specifically the recently launched ethanol pipeline project which is expected to affect not only the price, production, consumption and trade of ethanol but also the land use changes in the country. All these factors are combined to assess the impacts on economic surplus and total direct Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions in the U.S. and Brazil. The model is calibrated for 2007 and markets conditions are projected to 2022 under different policy scenarios. Empirical results show that a free ethanol trade regime in the U.S. would reduce the domestic ethanol production, including both corn and cellulosic ethanol. The U.S. biofuel production would be consumed completely in the domestic market and part of the demand is met by imports. Brazil, on the other hand, would meet its domestic ethanol demand and export about half of its production to the U.S., China and the ROW to meet the biofuel mandates in those countries. With regards to the land use, the model results show that intensifying the current livestock systems in Brazil would release a significant amount of land for corn and soybean production, and sugarcane acreage would expand in the denominated "region of expansion". The livestock semi-intensification in Brazil, driven by the high world ethanol demand and considered as the only alternative to expand sugarcane area in this study, would reduce the aggregate GHG emissions. The ethanol transportation infrastructure development in Brazil, namely the three pipelines which will connect the ethanol supply regions to major consumption areas, would further increase the Brazilian total ethanol supply. Finally, the model results highlight how the fuel policy in Brazil is a sensitive issue. Given the flexibility of Brazilian fuel consumers to switch between gasohol and E100, decreasing the ethanol blending rates under an ethanol supply shortfall would harm the light-duty vehicle users. This increases the consumption of ethanol by flex fuel vehicles, due to price effect, and the consumption of gasoline by conventional vehicles due to a larger share of gasoline in the fuel mix. In contrast, reducing the gasoline tax rate would make drivers better off, due to the increased consumption of gasohol and VKT, but this would increase GHG emissions significantly making a very costly trade-off for society and global environment.

Meeting report: development of environmental health indicators in Brazil and other countries in the americas.

PubMed

Carneiro, Fernando F; Oliveira, Mara Lúcia C; Netto, Guilherme F; Galvão, Luis A C; Cancio, Jacira A; Bonini, Estela M; Corvalan, Carlos F

2006-09-01

This report summarizes the Brazilian experience on the design and implementation of environmental health, with contributions from Argentina, Canada, and Cuba, presented at the International Symposium on the Development of Indicators for Environmental Health Integrated Management, held in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil, on 17-18 June 2004. The methodology for the development of environmental health indicators has been used as a reference in the implementation of environmental health surveillance in Brazil. This methodology has provided tools and processes to facilitate the understanding and to measure the determinants of risks to environmental health, to help decision makers control those risks. Key words: environmental health indicators, environmental health surveillance, integrated management.

The challenge of implementing the Important Bird Area program in a megadiversity and mega-threatened country

Treesearch

Jaqueline M. Goerck; David C. Wege

2005-01-01

Brazil is a megadiversity country but also has the highest number of threatened bird species in the neotropics. There are over 100 species of birds threatened with extinction in Brazil. Some of the most threatened birds occur in the highly threatened Atlantic Forest hotspot of Brazil. BirdLife International started an Important Bird Areas (IBA) program in Brazil by...

Development of a telemedicine model for emerging countries: a case study on pediatric oncology in Brazil.

PubMed

Hira, A Y; Nebel de Mello, A; Faria, R A; Odone Filho, V; Lopes, R D; Zuffo, M K

2006-01-01

This article discusses a telemedicine model for emerging countries, through the description of ONCONET, a telemedicine initiative applied to pediatric oncology in Brazil. The ONCONET core technology is a Web-based system that offers health information and other services specialized in childhood cancer such as electronic medical records and cooperative protocols for complex treatments. All Web-based services are supported by the use of high performance computing infrastructure based on clusters of commodity computers. The system was fully implemented on an open-source and free-software approach. Aspects of modeling, implementation and integration are covered. A model, both technologically and economically viable, was created through the research and development of in-house solutions adapted to the emerging countries reality and with focus on scalability both in the total number of patients and in the national infrastructure.

Perinatal and sociodemographic factors at birth predicting conduct problems and violence to age 18 years: comparison of Brazilian and British birth cohorts.

PubMed

Murray, Joseph; Maughan, Barbara; Menezes, Ana M B; Hickman, Matthew; MacLeod, John; Matijasevich, Alicia; Gonçalves, Helen; Anselmi, Luciana; Gallo, Erika A G; Barros, Fernando C

2015-08-01

Many low- and middle-income countries have high levels of violence. Research in high-income countries shows that risk factors in the perinatal period are significant precursors of conduct problems which can develop into violence. It is not known whether the same early influences are important in lower income settings with higher rates of violence. This study compared perinatal and sociodemographic risk factors between Brazil and Britain, and their role in explaining higher rates of conduct problems and violence in Brazil. Prospective population-based birth cohort studies were conducted in Pelotas, Brazil (N = 3,618) and Avon, Britain (N = 4,103). Eleven perinatal and sociodemographic risk factors were measured in questionnaires completed by mothers during the perinatal period. Conduct problems were measured in questionnaires completed by mothers at age 11, and violence in self-report questionnaires completed by adolescents at age 18. Conduct problems were predicted by similar risk factors in Brazil and Britain. Female violence was predicted by several of the same risk factors in both countries. However, male violence in Brazil was associated with only one risk factor, and several risk factor associations were weaker in Brazil than in Britain for both females and males. Almost 20% of the higher risk for conduct problems in Brazil compared to Britain was explained by differential exposure to risk factors. The percentage of the cross-national difference in violence explained by early risk factors was 15% for females and 8% for males. A nontrivial proportion of cross-national differences in antisocial behaviour are related to perinatal and sociodemographic conditions at the start of life. However, risk factor associations are weaker in Brazil than in Britain, and influences in other developmental periods are probably of particular importance for understanding male youth violence in Brazil. © 2014 The Authors. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

From the Kitchen to the Bedroom: Frequency Rates and Consequences of Sexual Harassment among Female Domestic Workers in Brazil

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeSouza, Eros R.; Cerqueira, Elder

2009-01-01

Sexual harassment has been investigated mostly in developed countries. The authors examined frequency rates and consequences of sexual harassment among female domestic workers in Brazil. Twenty-six percent had been sexually harassed at work during the past year. Live-in workers were at significantly greater risk for experiencing sexual harassment…

A Perspective Discussion on Rising Pesticide Levels and Colon Cancer Burden in Brazil

PubMed Central

Uyemura, Sergio Akira; Stopper, Helga; Martin, Francis L.; Kannen, Vinicius

2017-01-01

Agriculture is a mainstay of many developing countries’ economy, such as Brazil. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Brazil is the major global consumer of pesticides. Irrespective of the fact that the International Agency for Research on Cancer suggests that pesticides promote human cancer risk, a prospective study reports that colorectal cancer (CRC) burden will increase in developing countries by approximately 60% in the coming decades. Here, we review the literature and public data from the Brazilian Federal Government to explore why pesticides levels and new cases of colon cancer (CC) are rising rapidly in the country. CC incidence is the second most common malignancy in men and women in the South and the Southeast of Brazil. However, while these regions have almost doubled their pesticide levels and CC mortality in 14 years, the amount of sold pesticides increased 5.2-fold with a corresponding 6.2-fold increase in CC mortality in Northern and Northeastern states. Interestingly, mortality from endocrine, nutritional, and metabolic diseases are rapidly increasing, in close resemblance with the pesticide detection levels in food. Taken together, we discuss the possibility that pesticides might alter the risk of CC. PMID:29085820

The World Debt Crisis and Its Resolution. Foreign Agricultural Economic Report No. 231.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shane, Mathew; Stallings, David

The conclusion of this study of 79 developing countries was that forgiving some of the indebtedness of developing countries may stimulate mutually beneficial trade among all nations. the international debt-repayment problems of Poland in 1981 and was followed by problems in Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina in 1982. This crisis has proven to be a more…

Comparison of the Natural History of Genital HPV Infection among Men by Country: Brazil, Mexico, and the United States.

PubMed

Sudenga, Staci L; Torres, B Nelson; Silva, Roberto; Villa, Luisa L; Lazcano-Ponce, Eduardo; Abrahamsen, Martha; Baggio, Maria Luiza; Salmeron, Jorge; Quiterio, Manuel; Giuliano, Anna R

2017-07-01

Background: Male genital human papillomavirus (HPV) prevalence and incidence has been reported to vary by geographical location. Our objective was to assess the natural history of genital HPV by country among men with a median of 48 months of follow-up. Methods: Men ages 18-70 years were recruited from United States ( n = 1,326), Mexico ( n = 1,349), and Brazil ( n = 1,410). Genital specimens were collected every 6 months and HPV genotyping identified 37 HPV genotypes. Prevalence of HPV was compared between the three countries using the Fisher exact test. Incidence rates and 95% confidence intervals were calculated. The median time to HPV clearance among men with an incident infection was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: The prevalence and incidence of the genital HPV types known to cause disease in males (HPV 16 and 6) was significantly higher among men from Brazil than men from Mexico. Prevalence and incidence of those genital HPV types in the United States varied between being comparable with those of Mexico or Brazil. Although genital HPV16 duration was significantly longer in Brazil ( P = 0.04) compared with Mexico and the United States, HPV6 duration was shortest in Brazil ( P = 0.03) compared with Mexico and the United States. Conclusions: Men in Brazil and Mexico often have similar, if not higher prevalence of HPV compared with men from the United States. Impact: Currently, there is no routine screening for genital HPV among males and while HPV is common in men, and most naturally clear the infection, a proportion of men do develop HPV-related diseases. Men may benefit from gender-neutral vaccine policies. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 26(7); 1043-52. ©2017 AACR . ©2017 American Association for Cancer Research.

Essential drugs production in Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS): opportunities and challenges.

PubMed

Ezziane, Zoheir

2014-12-01

The objective of this work is to elucidate various essential drugs in the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) countries. It discusses the opportunities and challenges of the existing biotech infrastructure and the production of drugs and vaccines in member states of the BRICS. This research is based on a systematic literature review between the years 2000 and 2014 of documents retrieved from the databases Embase, PubMed/Medline, Global Health, and Google Scholar, and the websites of relevant international organizations, research institutions and philanthropic organizations. Findings vary from one member state to another. These include useful comparison between the BRICS countries in terms of pharmaceuticals expenditure versus total health expenditure, local manufacturing of drugs/vaccines using technology and know-how transferred from developed countries, and biotech entrepreneurial collaborations under the umbrella of the BRICS region. This study concludes by providing recommendations to support more of inter collaborations among the BRICS countries as well as between BRICS and many developing countries to shrink drug production costs. In addition, this collaboration would also culminate in reaching out to poor countries that are not able to provide their communities and patients with cost-effective essential medicines.

Essential drugs production in Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS): opportunities and challenges

PubMed Central

Ezziane, Zoheir

2014-01-01

The objective of this work is to elucidate various essential drugs in the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) countries. It discusses the opportunities and challenges of the existing biotech infrastructure and the production of drugs and vaccines in member states of the BRICS. This research is based on a systematic literature review between the years 2000 and 2014 of documents retrieved from the databases Embase, PubMed/Medline, Global Health, and Google Scholar, and the websites of relevant international organizations, research institutions and philanthropic organizations. Findings vary from one member state to another. These include useful comparison between the BRICS countries in terms of pharmaceuticals expenditure versus total health expenditure, local manufacturing of drugs/vaccines using technology and know-how transferred from developed countries, and biotech entrepreneurial collaborations under the umbrella of the BRICS region. This study concludes by providing recommendations to support more of inter collaborations among the BRICS countries as well as between BRICS and many developing countries to shrink drug production costs. In addition, this collaboration would also culminate in reaching out to poor countries that are not able to provide their communities and patients with cost-effective essential medicines. PMID:25489593

Emergence of biopharmaceutical innovators in China, India, Brazil, and South Africa as global competitors and collaborators.

PubMed

Rezaie, Rahim; McGahan, Anita M; Frew, Sarah E; Daar, Abdallah S; Singer, Peter A

2012-06-06

Biopharmaceutical innovation has had a profound health and economic impact globally. Developed countries have traditionally been the source of most innovations as well as the destination for the resulting economic and health benefits. As a result, most prior research on this sector has focused on developed countries. This paper seeks to fill the gap in research on emerging markets by analyzing factors that influence innovative activity in the indigenous biopharmaceutical sectors of China, India, Brazil, and South Africa. Using qualitative research methodologies, this paper a) shows how biopharmaceutical innovation is taking place within the entrepreneurial sectors of these emerging markets, b) identifies common challenges that indigenous entrepreneurs face, c) highlights the key role played by the state, and d) reveals that the transition to innovation by companies in the emerging markets is characterized by increased global integration. It suggests that biopharmaceutical innovators in emerging markets are capitalizing on opportunities to participate in the drug development value chain and thus developing capabilities and relationships for competing globally both with and against established companies headquartered in developed countries.

Emergence of biopharmaceutical innovators in China, India, Brazil, and South Africa as global competitors and collaborators

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Biopharmaceutical innovation has had a profound health and economic impact globally. Developed countries have traditionally been the source of most innovations as well as the destination for the resulting economic and health benefits. As a result, most prior research on this sector has focused on developed countries. This paper seeks to fill the gap in research on emerging markets by analyzing factors that influence innovative activity in the indigenous biopharmaceutical sectors of China, India, Brazil, and South Africa. Using qualitative research methodologies, this paper a) shows how biopharmaceutical innovation is taking place within the entrepreneurial sectors of these emerging markets, b) identifies common challenges that indigenous entrepreneurs face, c) highlights the key role played by the state, and d) reveals that the transition to innovation by companies in the emerging markets is characterized by increased global integration. It suggests that biopharmaceutical innovators in emerging markets are capitalizing on opportunities to participate in the drug development value chain and thus developing capabilities and relationships for competing globally both with and against established companies headquartered in developed countries. PMID:22672351

Investing in Youth: Brazil

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

OECD Publishing, 2014

2014-01-01

The series Investing in Youth builds on the expertise of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on youth employment, social support and skills. It covers both OECD countries and countries in the process of accession to the OECD, as well as some emerging economies. This report provides a detailed diagnosis of the youth…

Measuring and explaining the willingness to pay for forest conservation: evidence from a survey experiment in Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bakaki, Zorzeta; Bernauer, Thomas

2016-11-01

Recent research suggests that there is substantial public support (including willingness to pay) for forest conservation. Based on a nationwide survey experiment in Brazil (N = 2500) the largest and richest of the world’s tropical developing countries, we shed new light on this issue. To what extent does the public in fact support forest conservation and what factors are influencing support levels? Unlike previous studies, our results show that the willingness to pay for tropical forest conservation in Brazil is rather low. Moreover, framing forest conservation in terms of biodiversity protection, which tends to create more local benefits, does not induce more support than framing conservation in terms of mitigating global climate change. The results also show that low levels of trust in public institutions have a strong negative impact on the public’s willingness to pay for forest conservation, individually and/or via government spending. What could other (richer) countries do, in this context, to encourage forest conservation in Brazil and other tropical developing countries? One key issue is whether prospects of foreign funding for forest conservation are likely to crowd out or, conversely, enhance the motivation for domestic level conservation efforts. We find that prospects of foreign funding have no significant effect on willingness to pay for forest conservation. These findings have at least three policy implications, namely, that the Brazilian public’s willingness to pay for forest conservation is very limited, that large-scale international funding is probably needed, and that such funding is unlikely to encourage more domestic effort, but is also unlikely to crowd out domestic efforts. Restoring public trust in the Brazilian government is key to increasing public support for forest conservation in Brazil.

Global capacity, potentials and trends of solid waste research and management.

PubMed

Nwachukwu, Michael A; Ronald, Mersky; Feng, Huan

2017-09-01

In this study, United States, China, India, United Kingdom, Nigeria, Egypt, Brazil, Italy, Germany, Taiwan, Australia, Canada and Mexico were selected to represent the global community. This enabled an overview of solid waste management worldwide and between developed and developing countries. These are countries that feature most in the International Conference on Solid Waste Technology and Management (ICSW) over the past 20 years. A total of 1452 articles directly on solid waste management and technology were reviewed and credited to their original country of research. Results show significant solid waste research potentials globally, with the United States leading by 373 articles, followed by India with 230 articles. The rest of the countries are ranked in the order of: UK > Taiwan > Brazil > Nigeria > Italy > Japan > China > Canada > Germany >Mexico > Egypt > Australia. Global capacity in solid waste management options is in the order of: Waste characterisation-management > waste biotech/composting > waste to landfill > waste recovery/reduction > waste in construction > waste recycling > waste treatment-reuse-storage > waste to energy > waste dumping > waste education/public participation/policy. It is observed that the solid waste research potential is not a measure of solid waste management capacity. The results show more significant research impacts on solid waste management in developed countries than in developing countries where economy, technology and society factors are not strong. This article is targeted to motivate similar study in each country, using solid waste research articles from other streamed databases to measure research impacts on solid waste management.

Brazil's Exception to the World-Class University Movement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alperin, Juan Pablo

2013-01-01

The continued importance of university rankings has only served to fuel the growth of the "world-class" university movement. There is a growing impression that, in a globalised and interconnected world, no country can do without a world-class university. No country, that is, except Brazil. While Brazil has the resources necessary to…

Has the implementation of the TRIPS Agreement in Latin America and the Caribbean produced intellectual property legislation that favours public health?

PubMed

Oliveira, Maria Auxiliadora; Bermudez, Jorge Antonio Zepeda; Chaves, Gabriela Costa; Velásquez, Germán

2004-11-01

The World Trade Organization's Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement establishes minimum standards for intellectual property rights, including patent protection for pharmaceuticals; therefore, it may make it difficult for developing countries to gain access to medicines, especially those countries that are the least developed. This study aims to determine whether implementation of the TRIPS Agreement in Latin American and Caribbean countries has generated patent legislation that is sensitive to public health needs. Legislation in 11 Latin American and Caribbean countries was analysed. The variables considered in the analysis were: the term of patents issued, patentable subject matter, transition periods (that is, time until legislation was enacted), reversal of the burden of proof of patent infringement, exhaustion of rights, compulsory licensing and the early working exception (which allows a country to complete all procedures necessary to register a generic product before the original patent expires). By 2000, all of the countries studied had reformed their legislation to conform to the agreement. Brazil and Argentina used the transition period until 2005 to grant patents in the pharmaceutical industry. All countries, except Panama, made use of the safeguards and flexibilities available through the agreement by including mechanisms for compulsory licensing in their legislation. Argentina; Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela (countries that represented the Andean community); the Dominican Republic; and Panama included mechanisms to allow parallel importation. Mexico did not. Brazil only permits parallel importation after a compulsory licence has been issued. The early working exception is included in legislation in Brazil and the Dominican Republic. The countries in this study did not incorporate all of the mechanisms allowed for by the Agreement and are not adequately using the provisions that enable World Trade Organization (WTO) members to obtain better health for the public, particularly in regard to gaining access to medicines. This situation may deteriorate in future if other agreements establish more restrictive rules for intellectual property rights.

Medical Student Beliefs and Attitudes Toward Mental Illness Across Five Nations.

PubMed

Stefanovics, Elina A; Rosenheck, Robert A; He, Hongo; Ofori-Atta, Angela; Cavalcanti, Maria; Chiles, Catherine

2016-12-01

Negative attitudes toward people with mental illness are a widespread concern and may vary across countries. This study used a 36-item questionnaire to compare attitudes toward people with mental illness and beliefs about the causes of mental illness among medical students from the United States, Brazil, Ghana, Nigeria, and China (N = 1131). Exploratory factor analysis identified the underlying factor structure of the questionnaire, and analysis of covariance was then used to compare factors representing four nonstigmatized attitudes across students from the five countries. US Medical students scored highest on all four factors, followed by those from Brazil. Nigerian and Ghanaian students scored lowest on nonsupernatural etiology of mental illness, and Chinese students showed the lowest score on personal social acceptance and public policy acceptance of people with mental illness. Differences in medical student attitudes between these five countries suggest underlying sociocultural differences in attitudes with the more stigmatized attitudes in developing countries.

Zika puzzle in Brazil: peculiar conditions of viral introduction and dissemination - A Review

PubMed Central

Possas, Cristina; Brasil, Patricia; Marzochi, Mauro CA; Tanuri, Amilcar; Martins, Reinaldo M; Marques, Ernesto TA; Bonaldo, Myrna C; Ferreira, Antonio GP; Lourenço-de-Oliveira, Ricardo; Nogueira, Rita Maria R; Sequeira, Patricia C; Marzochi, Keyla BF; Homma, Akira

2017-01-01

This article discusses the peculiar conditions that favoured the unexpected introduction of Zika virus into the poorest northeastern region of Brazil in 2015, its speed of transmission to other Brazilian states, other Latin American countries and other regions, and the severity of related neurological disorders in newborns and adults. Contrasting with evidence that Zika had so far caused only mild cases in humans in the last six decades, the epidemiological scenario of this outbreak in Brazil indicates dramatic health effects: in 2015, an increase of 20-fold in notified cases of microcephaly and/or central nervous system (CNS) alterations suggestive of Zika congenital infection, followed by an exponential increase in 2016, with 2366 cumulative cases confirmed in the country by the end of December 2016. A significant increase in Guillain-Barré syndrome in adults has also been reported. Factors involved in viral dissemination, neural pathogenesis and routes of transmission in Brazil are examined, such as the role of social and environmental factors and the controversies involved in the hypothesis of antibody-dependent enhancement, to explain the incidence of congenital Zika syndrome in Brazil. Responses to the Zika outbreak and the development of new products are also discussed. PMID:28443985

Technology transfer and international development: Materials and manufacturing technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1982-01-01

Policy oriented studies on technological development in several relatively advanced developing countries were conducted. Priority sectors defined in terms of technological sophistication, capital intensity, value added, and export potential were studied in Brazil, Venezuela, Israel, and Korea. The development of technological policy alternatives for the sponsoring country is assessed. Much emphasis is placed on understanding the dynamics of the sectors through structured interviews with a large sample of firms in the leading manufacturing and materials processing sectors.

The Role of Geopolitics in Language Planning and Language Politics in Brazil

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rajagopalan, Kanavillil

2008-01-01

The history of language planning in Brazil, the only Portuguese speaking country in South America, is shown to have been decisively influenced at every critical moment by prevailing geopolitical interests. Sharing borders with nine out of the 11 countries that, together with it, make up the continent, Brazil has always been attentive to perceived…

Contrasting Urban Lifestyles in Brazil. A Precollegiate Curriculum Unit: Grades Six-Twelve.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stanford Univ., CA. Stanford Program on International and Cross Cultural Education.

This unit, designed for use with students in grades 6-12, concerns the diverse and unifying forces that characterize life in Brazil's urban centers. Comprised of seven lessons and used with a set of slides, lesson 1, "Geography," distinguishes Brazil from other South American countries through an examination of the country's geographic…

Productivity losses due to premature mortality from cancer in Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS): A population-based comparison.

PubMed

Pearce, Alison; Sharp, Linda; Hanly, Paul; Barchuk, Anton; Bray, Freddie; de Camargo Cancela, Marianna; Gupta, Prakash; Meheus, Filip; Qiao, You-Lin; Sitas, Freddy; Wang, Shao-Ming; Soerjomataram, Isabelle

2018-04-01

Over two-thirds of the world's cancer deaths occur in economically developing countries; however, the societal costs of cancer have rarely been assessed in these settings. Our aim was to estimate the value of productivity lost in 2012 due to cancer-related premature mortality in the major developing economies of Brazil, the Russian Federation, India, China and South Africa (BRICS). We applied an incidence-based method using the human capital approach. We used annual adult cancer deaths from GLOBOCAN2012 to estimate the years of productive life lost between cancer death and pensionable age in each country, valued using national and international data for wages, and workforce statistics. Sensitivity analyses examined various methodological assumptions. The total cost of lost productivity due to premature cancer mortality in the BRICS countries in 2012 was $46·3 billion, representing 0·33% of their combined gross domestic product. The largest total productivity loss was in China ($28 billion), while South Africa had the highest cost per cancer death ($101,000). Total productivity losses were greatest for lung cancer in Brazil, the Russian Federation and South Africa; liver cancer in China; and lip and oral cavity cancers in India. Locally-tailored strategies are required to reduce the economic burden of cancer in developing economies. Focussing on tobacco control, vaccination programs and cancer screening, combined with access to adequate treatment, could yield significant gains for both public health and economic performance of the BRICS countries. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Attitudes toward Peace, War and Violence in Five Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Biaggio, Angela; De Souza, Luciana; Martini, Rosa

2004-01-01

This study investigated attitudes towards peace, war and violence in students from five countries: Brazil, Chile, Germany, Portugal, and the USA. The total sample consisted of 171 male and female adolescents and adults. An 11-item questionnaire about peace, war and violence was developed. The data were submitted to content analysis by groups of…

Challenges in Developing a Cancer Oriented-Biobank: Experience from a 17 Year-Old Cancer Biobank in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

PubMed

Campos, Antonio Hugo Jose Froes Marques; Soares, Fernando Augusto

2015-01-01

Brazil and Latin America will face a cancer epidemic in the coming years. Efforts towards cancer prevention, early detection and treatment must be associated with active research that helps understanding the geographical variations of this disease. The creation of cancer-oriented biobanks should be part of this strategy. This article outlines the challenges of establishing a cancer-oriented biobank at the A. C. Camargo Center, a private, non-profit institution located in Sao Paulo, Brazil. We analyze important issues related to the day-to-day operations of the biobank within an institutional and national context, as well as the lessons learned over the years. It is hoped that the information contained in this paper will be useful for the development of other biobanks in Brazil and other countries in Latin America.

Latin America in the 1980’s: The Strategic Environment and Inter-American Security.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-06-15

Investigaciones socio-economicas (CISEC), Las Fuerzas Armadas en la Sociedad Civil, Santiago: Talleres Graficos , pages 143-229. 25. A 1976 International Monetary...Moreover, Latin American countries, notably Brazil, Peru, and Chile , have elaborated and implemented comprehensive national security doctrines that...equate development and social integration with national security. In the 1980’s Argentina, Brazil, Chile , Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela-the seven

Crime and violence in Brazil: Systematic review of time trends, prevalence rates and risk factors☆

PubMed Central

Murray, Joseph; Cerqueira, Daniel Ricardo de Castro; Kahn, Tulio

2013-01-01

Between 1980 and 2010 there were 1 million homicides in Brazil. Dramatic increases in homicide rates followed rises in inequality, more young men in the population, greater availability of firearms, and increased drug use. Nevertheless, disarmament legislation may have helped reduce homicide rates in recent years. Despite its very high rate of lethal violence, Brazil appears to have similar levels of general criminal victimization as several other Latin American and North American countries. Brazil has lower rates of drug use compared to other countries such as the United States, but the prevalence of youth drug use in Brazil has increased substantially in recent years. Since 1990, the growth of the Brazilian prison population has been enormous, resulting in the fourth largest prison population in the world. Through a systematic review of the literature, we identified 10 studies assessing the prevalence of self-reported offending in Brazil and 9 studies examining risk factors. Levels of self-reported offending seem quite high among school students in Brazil. Individual and family-level risk factors identified in Brazil are very similar to those found in high-income countries. PMID:24027422

Time trends for prostate cancer mortality in Brazil and its geographic regions: An age-period-cohort analysis.

PubMed

Braga, Sonia Faria Mendes; de Souza, Mirian Carvalho; Cherchiglia, Mariangela Leal

2017-10-01

In the 1980s, an increase in mortality rates for prostate cancer was observed in North America and developed European countries. In the 1990s, however, mortality rates decreased for these countries, an outcome related to early detection of the disease. Conversely, an upward trend in mortality rates was observed in Brazil. This study describe the trends in mortality for prostate cancer in Brazil and geographic regions (North, Northeast, South, Southeast, and Central-West) between 1980 until 2014 and analyze the influence of age, period, and cohort effects on mortality rates. This time-series study used data from the Mortality Information System (SIM) and population data from Brazilian Institute for Geography and Statistics (IBGE). The effects on mortality rates were examined using age-period-cohort (APC) models. Crude and standardized mortality rates showed an upward trend for Brazil and its regions more than 2-fold the last 30 years. Age effects showed an increased risk of death in all regions. Period effects showed a higher risk of death in the finals periods for the North and Northeast. Cohort effects showed risk of death was higher for younger than older generations in Brazil and regions, mainly Northeast (RR Adjusted =3.12, 95% CI 1.29-1.41; RR Adjusted =0.28, 95% CI 0.26-0.30, respectively). The increase in prostate cancer mortality rates in Brazil and its regions was mainly due to population aging. The differences in mortality rates and APC effects between regions are related to demographic differences and access of health services across the country. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Policy Development for Environmental Licensing and Biodiversity Offsets in Latin America

PubMed Central

Villarroya, Ana; Barros, Ana Cristina; Kiesecker, Joseph

2014-01-01

Attempts to meet biodiversity goals through application of the mitigation hierarchy have gained wide traction globally with increased development of public policy, lending standards, and corporate practices. With interest in biodiversity offsets increasing in Latin America, we seek to strengthen the basis for policy development through a review of major environmental licensing policy frameworks in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela. Here we focused our review on an examination of national level policies to evaluate to which degree current provisions promote positive environmental outcomes. All the surveyed countries have national-level Environmental Impact Assessment laws or regulations that cover the habitats present in their territories. Although most countries enable the use of offsets only Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Peru explicitly require their implementation. Our review has shown that while advancing quite detailed offset policies, most countries do not seem to have strong requirements regarding impact avoidance. Despite this deficiency most countries have a strong foundation from which to develop policy for biodiversity offsets, but several issues require further guidance, including how best to: (1) ensure conformance with the mitigation hierarchy; (2) identify the most environmentally preferable offsets within a landscape context; (3) determine appropriate mitigation replacement ratios; and (4) ensure appropriate time and effort is given to monitor offset performance. PMID:25191758

Policy development for environmental licensing and biodiversity offsets in Latin America.

PubMed

Villarroya, Ana; Barros, Ana Cristina; Kiesecker, Joseph

2014-01-01

Attempts to meet biodiversity goals through application of the mitigation hierarchy have gained wide traction globally with increased development of public policy, lending standards, and corporate practices. With interest in biodiversity offsets increasing in Latin America, we seek to strengthen the basis for policy development through a review of major environmental licensing policy frameworks in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela. Here we focused our review on an examination of national level policies to evaluate to which degree current provisions promote positive environmental outcomes. All the surveyed countries have national-level Environmental Impact Assessment laws or regulations that cover the habitats present in their territories. Although most countries enable the use of offsets only Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Peru explicitly require their implementation. Our review has shown that while advancing quite detailed offset policies, most countries do not seem to have strong requirements regarding impact avoidance. Despite this deficiency most countries have a strong foundation from which to develop policy for biodiversity offsets, but several issues require further guidance, including how best to: (1) ensure conformance with the mitigation hierarchy; (2) identify the most environmentally preferable offsets within a landscape context; (3) determine appropriate mitigation replacement ratios; and (4) ensure appropriate time and effort is given to monitor offset performance.

Country-Specific HPV-related Genital Disease Among Men Residing in Brazil, Mexico, and the United States: The HIM Study

PubMed Central

Sudenga, Staci L.; Torres, B. Nelson; Fulp, William J.; Silva, Roberto; Villa, Luisa L.; Lazcano-Ponce, Eduardo; Ingles, Donna J.; Stoler, Mark; Messina, Jane L.; Abrahamsen, Martha; Luiza Baggio, Maria; Salmeron, Jorge; Quiterio, Manuel; Giuliano, Anna R.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to assess whether the incidence of histopathologically confirmed condyloma and penile intraepithelial neoplasia (PeIN) and rates of genital HPV infection progression to these lesions differs by country (Brazil, Mexico, and the U.S.). At each visit, lesions were biopsied and were categorized by pathologic diagnoses. The Linear Array genotyping method was used to identify HPV genotypes from genital swabs, while the INNO-LiPA HPV Genotyping Extra method was used for tissue specimens. Age-specific analyses were conducted for lesion incidence by country, with Kaplan–Meier estimation of cumulative incidence. The proportion of HPV infections that progressed to condyloma and PeIN, the median time to lesion development, and the incidence rates were estimated by country. When comparing demographic and sexual characteristics across the three countries, sexual orientation (p=0.008) and lifetime number of female sexual partners (p < 0.0001) were differentially associated with lesion incidence in the three countries. Condyloma incidence in Brazil and the U.S. decreased with age, while incidence remained constant across the lifespan in Mexico. There were no differences by country and age for PeIN incidence. HPV types 6 and 11 were the most common types to progress to condyloma, and HPV types 16, 6, and 11 were the most common types to progress to PeIN in all three countries. The continuous risk of condyloma and PeIN across all age groups and countries in this study emphasizes the need to ensure that strong HPV immunity, such as that obtained through vaccination, is maintained across the lifespan of men. PMID:27681815

Country-specific HPV-related genital disease among men residing in Brazil, Mexico and The United States: The HIM study.

PubMed

Sudenga, Staci L; Torres, B Nelson; Fulp, William J; Silva, Roberto; Villa, Luisa L; Lazcano-Ponce, Eduardo; Ingles, Donna J; Stoler, Mark; Messina, Jane L; Abrahamsen, Martha; Baggio, Maria Luiza; Salmeron, Jorge; Quiterio, Manuel; Giuliano, Anna R

2017-01-15

The purpose of this study was to assess whether the incidence of histopathologically confirmed condyloma and penile intraepithelial neoplasia (PeIN) and rates of genital HPV infection progression to these lesions differs by country (Brazil, Mexico and the U.S.). At each visit, lesions were biopsied and were categorized by pathologic diagnoses. The Linear Array genotyping method was used to identify HPV genotypes from genital swabs, while the INNO-LiPA HPV Genotyping Extra method was used for tissue specimens. Age-specific analyses were conducted for lesion incidence by country, with Kaplan-Meier estimation of cumulative incidence. The proportion of HPV infections that progressed to condyloma and PeIN, the median time to lesion development and the incidence rates were estimated by country. When comparing demographic and sexual characteristics across the three countries, sexual orientation (p = 0.008) and lifetime number of female sexual partners (p < 0.0001) were differentially associated with lesion incidence in the three countries. Condyloma incidence in Brazil and the U.S. decreased with age, while incidence remained constant across the lifespan in Mexico. There were no differences by country and age for PeIN incidence. HPV types 6 and 11 were the most common types to progress to condyloma and HPV types 16, 6 and 11 were the most common types to progress to PeIN in all three countries. The continuous risk of condyloma and PeIN across all age groups and countries in this study emphasizes the need to ensure that strong HPV immunity, such as that obtained through vaccination, is maintained across the lifespan of men. © 2016 UICC.

[Technological development: a weak link in vaccine innovation in Brazil].

PubMed

Homma, Akira; Martins, Reinaldo M; Jessouroum, Ellen; Oliva, Otavio

2003-01-01

In very recent years, the federal government has launched important initiatives mean to strengthen science, technology, and innovation in Brazil and thus enhance the results of technological innovation in key areas of the country's economy. Yet these initiatives have not been enough to reduce Brazil's heavy dependence on goods and technology from more developed nations. The article describes the current state of vaccination, production, and technological development of vaccines both internationally and nationally. Some thoughts are also offered on the complexity of vaccine innovation and the various stages whose completion is essential to the whole process of technological development. An analysis is made of the parameters and factors involved in each stage; technical requirements for facilities and equipment; good manufacturing practice guidelines; organizational, infrastructural, and managerial needs; and the lengthy time periods adn high costs entailed in these activities.

[Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. Biomedical research and the defense of a single standard of attention in developing countries].

PubMed

Angeles-Llerenas, Angélica; Bello, María Alejandra; Dirce, Guilhem; Salinas, Mario Alberto

2004-01-01

In the Helsinki Declaration, which established the ethical principles for research with human subjects, article 5 states, "...concern about the well-being of human beings should always come before the interests of science and of society..." Research proposals should include this commitment, both in developed and developing countries. In countries like Argentina, Brazil and Mexico, much of the population experience situations of great injustice, including a lack of equal access to health care. In some cases, sectors of the pharmaceutical industry may see these deficiencies as offering opportunities for carrying out research and achieving economic profits, something which carries the risk of perpetuating and even intensifying the unjust situations and violations of human rights--these population groups already suffer from. This situation implies the need for commitment to and ethical reflection upon human rights related to health. Agreements are needed between the actors involved in health research: sources of funding, researchers, public policy makers, and the study subjects themselves, in order to protect the latter's rights, including continuity of medical treatment for research subjects, when necessary.

Comparative analysis of death by suicide in Brazil and in the United States: descriptive, cross-sectional time series study.

PubMed

Abuabara, Alexander; Abuabara, Allan; Tonchuk, Carin Albino Luçolli

2017-01-01

The World Health Organization recognizes suicide as a public health priority. Increased knowledge of suicide risk factors is needed in order to be able to adopt effective prevention strategies. The aim of this study was to analyze and compare the association between the Gini coefficient (which is used to measure inequality) and suicide death rates over a 14-year period (2000-2013) in Brazil and in the United States (US). The hypothesis put forward was that reduction of income inequality is accompanied by reduction of suicide rates. Descriptive cross-sectional time-series study in Brazil and in the US. Population, death and suicide death data were extracted from the DATASUS database in Brazil and from the National Center for Health Statistics in the US. Gini coefficient data were obtained from the World Development Indicators. Time series analysis was performed on Brazilian and American official data regarding the number of deaths caused by suicide between 2000 and 2013 and the Gini coefficients of the two countries. The suicide trends were examined and compared. Brazil and the US present converging Gini coefficients, mainly due to reduction of inequality in Brazil over the last decade. However, suicide rates are not converging as hypothesized, but are in fact rising in both countries. The hypothesis that reduction of income inequality is accompanied by reduction of suicide rates was not verified.

Socioeconomic and regional differences in active transportation in Brazil

PubMed Central

de Sá, Thiago Hérick; Pereira, Rafael Henrique Moraes; Duran, Ana Clara; Monteiro, Carlos Augusto

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To present national estimates regarding walking or cycling for commuting in Brazil and in 10 metropolitan regions. METHODS By using data from the Health section of 2008’s Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílio (Brazil’s National Household Sample Survey), we estimated how often employed people walk or cycle to work, disaggregating our results by sex, age range, education level, household monthly income per capita, urban or rural address, metropolitan regions, and macro-regions in Brazil. Furthermore, we estimated the distribution of this same frequency according to quintiles of household monthly income per capita in each metropolitan region of the country. RESULTS A third of the employed men and women walk or cycle from home to work in Brazil. For both sexes, this share decreases as income and education levels rise, and it is higher among younger individuals, especially among those living in rural areas and in the Northeast region of the country. Depending on the metropolitan region, the practice of active transportation is two to five times more frequent among low-income individuals than among high-income individuals. CONCLUSIONS Walking or cycling to work in Brazil is most frequent among low-income individuals and the ones living in less economically developed areas. Active transportation evaluation in Brazil provides important information for public health and urban mobility policy-making PMID:27355465

BRIC in the Backyard: Brazil’s Economic Rise and What it Means for the United States (CSL Issue Paper, Volume 14-11, July 2011)

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-07-01

component in the administration’s plans to generate future growth for the country . To develop and optimize export opportunities, the government is...seeking expanded trade ties with developing countries , as well as a strengthening of the Common Market of the South – Mercosul (Mercosur in Spanish...one of these of these geo-political risers and it is perhaps the most underestimated of the so-called BRIC countries . The term BRIC was coined by Jim

Brazil.

PubMed

1983-07-01

Attention in this discussion of Brazil focuses: the history of the country's demographic situation; government's overall approach to population problems; population data systems and development planning; institutional arrangements for the integration of population within development planning; government's view of the importance of population policy in achieving development objectives; population size, growth, and natural increase; fertility; international migration; and spatial distribution. The population of Brazil grew from 17 million in 1900 to about 119 million in 1960, making it the most populous country in the world and 1 of the relatively few countries to have sustained rates of population growth of more than 2% for over a century. The government has not adopted an explicit policy to modify fertility or population growth. Initially this was because of its positive perception of the benefits of population growth and a large population size and, amore recently, because of Brazil's gradual transition to more moderate levels of fertility and population growth. Brazil's main sources of demographic data are its 9 censuses, conducted in 1982, 1890, 1900, 1920, 1940, 1950, 1960, 1970, and most recently in August 1980. A nationwide system of vital registration data are still lacking in many geographic areas, researchers have had to rely on indirect estimation techniques to derive estimates of past trends in fertility and mortality. Population policy has been regarded as a highly sensitive issue by Brazilian officials, and the government remains cautious in regard to population issues. Preliminary results of Brazil's 1980 census indicate a population of 119 million and an annual rate of population growth of 2.1%, continuing the downward trend that was first evident in 1976. The government considers levels and trends of population growth to be satisfactory, and morbidity and mortality to be unacceptable, partly because of a lack of success in reducing the incidence of certain infectious and parasitic diseases. Among the various programs that have been established to increase the coverage of health care services is the Program for Grass Roots Health and Sanitation Action in North-East Brazil. Brazil experienceed a substantial decline in fertility between 1970-80, with the crude birthrate falling by about 25% to below 30/1000 population. The government considers levels and trends of fertility to be satisfactory, both in relation to population growth and family well-being. Fertility control in Brazil has been essentially a private matter. Contraceptives are sold freely in pharmacies and have been widely used for decades by the middle and upper classes. Immigration ceased to be demographically significant about 1940. Brazil has never experienced large-scale emigration. The government considers both immigration and emigration to be not significant and satisfactory. Although the rate of aggregate population growth declined modestly after the 1960s, the rate of urbanization slowed down only very slightly. The government regards present patterns of spatial distribution to be inappropriate and to require substantial modification.

The Brazilian comprehensive response to hepatitis C: from strategic thinking to access to interferon-free therapy.

PubMed

Mesquita, Fabio; Santos, Melina Erica; Benzaken, Adele; Corrêa, Renato Girade; Cattapan, Elisa; Sereno, Leandro Soares; Naveira, Marcelo Contardo Moscoso

2016-11-02

Hepatitis C affects over 185 million people around the world. This silent disease is responsible for up to 700,000 deaths per year. Despite the scientific revolution in diagnosis and treatment, hepatitis C control remains a huge challenge due to the cost of effective medications. In response to the global outcry of hepatitis epidemic and the need to improve the nation's public health response, the Ministry of Health of Brazil revolutionized hepatitis C treatment by incorporating highly effective drugs that can be accessed through sustainable and universal means. This paper describes the unique process of implementing evidence-informed policy to respond to hepatitis C epidemic through the update of hepatitis C treatment in Brazil based on the estimate of disease prevalence, current international guidelines, and the cost-effectiveness impact in the Brazilian Unified Health System. Through a debate of an experience report, the authors underlie the strategic plan implemented according to the situation analysis that emphasized the need to improve its current response over a relatively short-term period. The comprehensive response is detailed comprising three main objectives: improve treatment outcomes by evaluating and incorporating new and effective medications at a sustainable price; elaborate on clinical guidelines to treat hepatitis C patients; and develop awareness and diagnosis campaigns targeted at the population of interest. In this scenario, Brazil was able to obtain an unprecedented discount for a high-medium income country; provided treatment to more than 7000 individuals in the last 2 months of 2015; and expects to treat 38,000 new patients in 2016. The remarkable process applied in Brazil was developed according to epidemiological data and scientific evidence, and it was motivated by the engagement of the country in the Sustainable Development Goals, which may inspire other developing countries to identify ways to achieve these goals by 2030.

Asserting the primacy of health over patent rights: a comparative study of the processes that led to the use of compulsory licensing in Thailand and Brazil.

PubMed

Rosenberg, Stephanie T

2014-08-01

Since the 1970s, the United States has adopted a trade policy agenda that has forced countries to trade away flexible patent provisions for access to US markets. While pharmaceutical companies have argued that the recognition of patent rights is essential for recovering investments in research and development of pharmaceuticals and incentivizing future innovation, the lack of competition has had damaging consequences for public health, as companies tend to set the prices of treatments beyond the reach of consumers and government programs. Thailand and Brazil are bound by law to provide universal access to anti-retroviral treatment (ART) to People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). This has been made possible in part due to the universal health care systems in each country and the countries' local technical and industrial capacities that provide the government with affordable generic medicines. The introduction of stronger intellectual property protection laws however, has limited possibilities for procuring generic medicines and inflated the cost of treatment. Between 2006-2008, Thailand and Brazil used compulsory licensing to authorize generic competition against the consent of the pharmaceutical companies in order to guarantee the right to health and ensure the viability of government health budgets. This paper will demonstrate how the interaction between individual / collective action and structural and institutional elements in Thailand and Brazil produced propitious conditions for each country to assert the primacy of health over patent rights. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Space-based communications infrastructure for developing countries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barker, Keith; Barnes, Carl; Price, K. M.

1995-08-01

This study examines the potential use of satellites to augment the telecommunications infrastructure of developing countries with advanced satellites. The study investigated the potential market for using satellites in developing countries, the role of satellites in national information infrastructures (NII), the technical feasibility of augmenting NIIs with satellites, and a nation's financial conditions necessary for procuring satellite systems. In addition, the study examined several technical areas including onboard processing, intersatellite links, frequency of operation, multibeam and active antennas, and advanced satellite technologies. The marketing portion of this study focused on three case studies: China, Brazil, and Mexico. These cases represent countries in various stages of telecommunication infrastructure development. The study concludes by defining the needs of developing countries for satellites, and recommends steps that both industry and NASA can take to improve the competitiveness of U.S. satellite manufacturing.

Space-based Communications Infrastructure for Developing Countries

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barker, Keith; Barnes, Carl; Price, K. M.

1995-01-01

This study examines the potential use of satellites to augment the telecommunications infrastructure of developing countries with advanced satellites. The study investigated the potential market for using satellites in developing countries, the role of satellites in national information infractructures (NII), the technical feasibility of augmenting NIIs with satellites, and a nation's financial conditions necessary for procuring satellite systems. In addition, the study examined several technical areas including onboard processing, intersatellite links, frequency of operation, multibeam and active antennas, and advanced satellite technologies. The marketing portion of this study focused on three case studies: China, Brazil, and Mexico. These cases represent countries in various stages of telecommunication infrastructure development. The study concludes by defining the needs of developing countries for satellites, and recommends steps that both industry and NASA can take to improve the competitiveness of U.S. satellite manufacturing.

Is Brazil going to achieve the road traffic deaths target? An analysis about the sustainable development goals.

PubMed

Blumenberg, Cauane; Martins, Rafaela C; Calu Costa, Janaína; Ricardo, Luiza I C

2017-09-07

To describe the temporal relationship between the road traffic mortality rate and gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in Brazil, and make an annual prediction of the evolution of both indicators until 2020, the end of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) monitoring period. Brazilian road traffic mortality rate official data were described from 2000 to 2015, while the GDP per capita official data were described from 2000 to 2013. GDP per capita and traffic mortality rate predictions were performed until 2020 using fractional polynomial analysis. Correlations were assessed using Pearson's correlation coefficient. From 2000 to 2015, there were over 446 000 road crashes fatal victims in Brazil. The road traffic mortality rate was positively related to the Brazilian GDP per capita, with a strong correlation (r=0.89; p<0.001) from 2000 to 2013 and a mild correlation (r=0.55; p<0.001) considering the whole period (2000-2020). The predictions show a reduction on the road traffic mortality rates in Brazil; however, if this same reduction pace continues, we estimate that the country will reach 12.4 road crash deaths per 100 000 inhabitants in 2020, a reduction of only 13.4% compared with 2015. If the same mortality reduction pace continues in Brazil, the country will not reach the proposed SDG, which is to reduce by half the number of deaths per 100 000 inhabitants. In addition, an intertwined conciliation between economical growth, sustainable development and public policies is needed in order to meet such an overwhelming goal. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Debtor States and the World Market: Explaining Mexican and Brazilian Foreign Economic Policy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gayle, Dennis John

The ways in which world market instabilities affect indebted developing countries and explanations of their differential policy responses are the central issues addressed in this paper. The development of Brazil and Mexico is examined as examples of middle-income developing nations whose economies have assumed dependent development. Dependent…

High temporal, geographic, and income variation in body mass index among adults in Brazil.

PubMed Central

Sichieri, R; Coitinho, D C; Leão, M M; Recine, E; Everhart, J E

1994-01-01

OBJECTIVES. Population-based data on body mass index for developing countries are scarce. Body mass index data from two Brazilian surveys were examined to determine regional and temporal variations in the prevalences of underweight, overweight, and obesity. METHODS. Nationwide surveys in 1974/75 and 1989 collected anthropometric data in Brazil from 55,000 and 14,455 households, respectively. Trained interviewers used the same methods to measure weight and stature in both surveys, and survey designs were identical. Prevalences of underweight, overweight, and obesity were determined for persons 18 years of age and older. RESULTS. In the 1989 survey, body mass index varied greatly according to region of the country, urbanization, and income. In the wealthier South, the prevalence of overweight/obesity was the highest and the prevalence of underweight was the lowest; in the poorer rural Northeast, these patterns were reversed. For both surveys, overweight/obesity was more common among women than among men and peaked at age 45 to 64 years in both sexes. Over the 15 years between surveys, the prevalence of both overweight and obesity increased strikingly. CONCLUSIONS. In contrast to findings in developed countries, obesity in Brazil was positively associated with income and was much more prevalent among women than among men. For Brazilian women, the overall prevalence of overweight was nearly as high as that among women in the United States. PMID:8179051

Practices and ethical concerns regarding preimplantation diagnosis. Who regulates preimplantation genetic diagnosis in Brazil?

PubMed Central

Damian, B.B.; Bonetti, T.C.S.; Horovitz, D.D.G.

2014-01-01

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) was originally developed to diagnose embryo-related genetic abnormalities for couples who present a high risk of a specific inherited disorder. Because this technology involves embryo selection, the medical, bioethical, and legal implications of the technique have been debated, particularly when it is used to select features that are not related to serious diseases. Although several initiatives have attempted to achieve regulatory harmonization, the diversity of healthcare services available and the presence of cultural differences have hampered attempts to achieve this goal. Thus, in different countries, the provision of PGD and regulatory frameworks reflect the perceptions of scientific groups, legislators, and society regarding this technology. In Brazil, several texts have been analyzed by the National Congress to regulate the use of assisted reproduction technologies. Legislative debates, however, are not conclusive, and limited information has been published on how PGD is specifically regulated. The country requires the development of new regulatory standards to ensure adequate access to this technology and to guarantee its safe practice. This study examined official documents published on PGD regulation in Brazil and demonstrated how little direct oversight of PGD currently exists. It provides relevant information to encourage reflection on a particular regulation model in a Brazilian context, and should serve as part of the basis to enable further reform of the clinical practice of PGD in the country. PMID:25493379

Principles and problems of environmental pollution of groundwater resources with case examples from developing countries.

PubMed Central

Egboka, B C; Nwankwor, G I; Orajaka, I P; Ejiofor, A O

1989-01-01

The principles and problems of environmental pollution and contamination are outlined. Emphasis is given to case examples from developing countries of Africa, Asia, and Latin America with a comparative analysis to developed countries. The problems of pollution/contamination are widespread in developed countries but are gradually spreading from the urban to rural areas in the developing countries. Great efforts in research and control programs to check pollution-loading into the environment have been made in the industrialized countries, but only negligible actions have been taken in developing countries. Pollutants emanate from both point and distributed sources and have adversely affected both surface water and groundwaters. The influences of the geologic and hydrologic cycles that exacerbate the incidences of pollution/contamination have not been well understood by environmental planners and managers. Professionals in the different areas of pollution control projects, particularly in developing countries, lack the integrated multiobjective approaches and techniques in problem solving. Such countries as Nigeria, Kenya, Brazil, and India are now menaced by pollution hazards. Appropriate methods of control are hereby suggested. PMID:2695325

Has the implementation of the TRIPS Agreement in Latin America and the Caribbean produced intellectual property legislation that favours public health?

PubMed Central

Oliveira, Maria Auxiliadora; Bermudez, Jorge Antonio Zepeda; Chaves, Gabriela Costa; Velásquez, Germán

2004-01-01

OBJECTIVE: The World Trade Organization's Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement establishes minimum standards for intellectual property rights, including patent protection for pharmaceuticals; therefore, it may make it difficult for developing countries to gain access to medicines, especially those countries that are the least developed. This study aims to determine whether implementation of the TRIPS Agreement in Latin American and Caribbean countries has generated patent legislation that is sensitive to public health needs. METHODS: Legislation in 11 Latin American and Caribbean countries was analysed. The variables considered in the analysis were: the term of patents issued, patentable subject matter, transition periods (that is, time until legislation was enacted), reversal of the burden of proof of patent infringement, exhaustion of rights, compulsory licensing and the early working exception (which allows a country to complete all procedures necessary to register a generic product before the original patent expires). FINDINGS: By 2000, all of the countries studied had reformed their legislation to conform to the agreement. Brazil and Argentina used the transition period until 2005 to grant patents in the pharmaceutical industry. All countries, except Panama, made use of the safeguards and flexibilities available through the agreement by including mechanisms for compulsory licensing in their legislation. Argentina; Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela (countries that represented the Andean community); the Dominican Republic; and Panama included mechanisms to allow parallel importation. Mexico did not. Brazil only permits parallel importation after a compulsory licence has been issued. The early working exception is included in legislation in Brazil and the Dominican Republic. CONCLUSION: The countries in this study did not incorporate all of the mechanisms allowed for by the Agreement and are not adequately using the provisions that enable World Trade Organization (WTO) members to obtain better health for the public, particularly in regard to gaining access to medicines. This situation may deteriorate in future if other agreements establish more restrictive rules for intellectual property rights. PMID:15640916

Non-Cardiac Surgery in Developing Countries: Epidemiological Aspects and Economical Opportunities – The Case of Brazil

PubMed Central

Yu, Pai Ching; Calderaro, Daniela; Gualandro, Danielle Menosi; Marques, Andre Coelho; Pastana, Adriana Feio; Prandini, Joao Carlos; Caramelli, Bruno

2010-01-01

Background Worldwide distribution of surgical interventions is unequal. Developed countries account for the majority of surgeries and information about non-cardiac operations in developing countries is scarce. The purpose of our study was to describe the epidemiological data of non-cardiac surgeries performed in Brazil in the last years. Methods and Findings This is a retrospective cohort study that investigated the time window from 1995 to 2007. We collected information from DATASUS, a national public health system database. The following variables were studied: number of surgeries, in-hospital expenses, blood transfusion related costs, length of stay and case fatality rates. The results were presented as sum, average and percentage. The trend analysis was performed by linear regression model. There were 32,659,513 non-cardiac surgeries performed in Brazil in thirteen years. An increment of 20.42% was observed in the number of surgeries in this period and nowadays nearly 3 million operations are performed annually. The cost of these procedures has increased tremendously in the last years. The increment of surgical cost was almost 200%. The total expenses related to surgical hospitalizations were more than $10 billion in all these years. The yearly cost of surgical procedures to public health system was more than $1.27 billion for all surgical hospitalizations, and in average, U$445.24 per surgical procedure. The total cost of blood transfusion was near $98 million in all years and annually approximately $10 million were spent in perioperative transfusion. The surgical mortality had an increment of 31.11% in the period. Actually, in 2007, the surgical mortality in Brazil was 1.77%. All the variables had a significant increment along the studied period: r square (r2) = 0.447 for the number of surgeries (P = 0.012), r2 = 0.439 for in-hospital expenses (P = 0.014) and r2 = 0.907 for surgical mortality (P = 0.0055). Conclusion The volume of surgical procedures has increased substantially in Brazil through the past years. The expenditure related to these procedures and its mortality has also increased as the number of operations. Better planning of public health resource and strategies of investment are needed to supply the crescent demand of surgery in Brazil. PMID:20485549

Non-cardiac surgery in developing countries: epidemiological aspects and economical opportunities--the case of Brazil.

PubMed

Yu, Pai Ching; Calderaro, Daniela; Gualandro, Danielle Menosi; Marques, Andre Coelho; Pastana, Adriana Feio; Prandini, Joao Carlos; Caramelli, Bruno

2010-05-12

Worldwide distribution of surgical interventions is unequal. Developed countries account for the majority of surgeries and information about non-cardiac operations in developing countries is scarce. The purpose of our study was to describe the epidemiological data of non-cardiac surgeries performed in Brazil in the last years. This is a retrospective cohort study that investigated the time window from 1995 to 2007. We collected information from DATASUS, a national public health system database. The following variables were studied: number of surgeries, in-hospital expenses, blood transfusion related costs, length of stay and case fatality rates. The results were presented as sum, average and percentage. The trend analysis was performed by linear regression model. There were 32,659,513 non-cardiac surgeries performed in Brazil in thirteen years. An increment of 20.42% was observed in the number of surgeries in this period and nowadays nearly 3 million operations are performed annually. The cost of these procedures has increased tremendously in the last years. The increment of surgical cost was almost 200%. The total expenses related to surgical hospitalizations were more than $10 billion in all these years. The yearly cost of surgical procedures to public health system was more than $1.27 billion for all surgical hospitalizations, and in average, U$445.24 per surgical procedure. The total cost of blood transfusion was near $98 million in all years and annually approximately $10 million were spent in perioperative transfusion. The surgical mortality had an increment of 31.11% in the period. Actually, in 2007, the surgical mortality in Brazil was 1.77%. All the variables had a significant increment along the studied period: r square (r(2)) = 0.447 for the number of surgeries (P = 0.012), r(2) = 0.439 for in-hospital expenses (P = 0.014) and r(2) = 0.907 for surgical mortality (P = 0.0055). The volume of surgical procedures has increased substantially in Brazil through the past years. The expenditure related to these procedures and its mortality has also increased as the number of operations. Better planning of public health resource and strategies of investment are needed to supply the crescent demand of surgery in Brazil.

Educational Building in Latin America.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baza, Jadille; Vaz, Rita de Cassia Alves; Millan, Eduardo; Almeida, Rodolfo

2002-01-01

Presents articles describing recent developments in three Latin American countries (Chile, Brazil, and Venezuela) to expand public education facilities, along with a report on UNESCO's recent seminar in Latin America on architecture for an inclusive education. (EV)

[Public policy-making on breast cancer in Latin America].

PubMed

González-Robledo, M C; González-Robledo, L M; Nigenda, G

2013-03-01

To understand the public policy-making process as it relates to breast cancer care in five Latin American countries. An exploratory-evaluative study was conducted in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Venezuela in 2010, with the selection of countries based on convenience sampling. Sixty-five semi-structured interviews were conducted with government officials, academics, and representatives of trade associations and civil society organizations. A content analysis of secondary sources was performed. Information sources, data, and informants were mixed using the triangulation method for purposes of analysis. The countries that have made the most progress in public policy-making related to breast cancer are Brazil and Mexico. Although Argentina, Colombia, and Venezuela do not have policies, they do have breast cancer care programs and activities. Two perspectives on the development of public policies became evident: the first includes the broad participation of both governmental and nongovernmental sectors, whereas the second, more narrow approach involves government authorities alone. The results point to significant differences in public policy-making related to breast cancer in the Region. They also show that greater progress has been made in countries where policies have been developed through inclusive participation processes.

Modeling monthly meteorological and agronomic frost days, based on minimum air temperature, in Center-Southern Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alvares, Clayton Alcarde; Sentelhas, Paulo César; Stape, José Luiz

2017-09-01

Although Brazil is predominantly a tropical country, frosts are observed with relative high frequency in the Center-Southern states of the country, affecting mainly agriculture, forestry, and human activities. Therefore, information about the frost climatology is of high importance for planning of these activities. Based on that, the aims of the present study were to develop monthly meteorological (F MET) and agronomic (F AGR) frost day models, based on minimum shelter air temperature (T MN), in order to characterize the temporal and spatial frost days variability in Center-Southern Brazil. Daily minimum air temperature data from 244 weather stations distributed across the study area were used, being 195 for developing the models and 49 for validating them. Multivariate regression models were obtained to estimate the monthly T MN, once the frost day models were based on this variable. All T MN regression models were statistically significant (p < 0.001), presenting adjusted R 2 between 0.69 and 0.90. Center-Southern Brazil is mainly hit by frosts from mid-fall (April) to mid-spring (October). The period from November to March is considered as frost-free, being very rare a frost day within that period. Monthly F MET and F AGR presented significant sigmoidal relationships with T MN (p < 0.0001), with adjusted R 2 above of 0.82. The residuals of the frost day models were random, which means that the sigmoidal models performed quite well for interpreting the frost day variability throughout the study area. The highlands of Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul, São Paulo, and Minas Gerais had in average more than 25 and 13 frosts per year, respectively, for F MET and F AGR. The F MET and F AGR maps developed in this study for Center-Southern Brazil is a useful tool for farmers, foresters, and researchers, since they contribute to reduce frost spatial and temporal uncertainty, helping in planning project for strategic purposes. Furthermore, the monthly F MET and F AGR maps for this Brazilian region are the first zoning of these variables for the country.

International cooperation and shortage of doctors: an analysis of the interaction between Brazil, Angola and Cuba.

PubMed

Alves, Sandra Mara Campos; Oliveira, Felipe Proenço de; Matos, Mateus Falcão Martins; Santos, Leonor Maria Pacheco; Delduque, Maria Celia

2017-07-01

The shortage of doctors, especially in remote areas, is a critical issue for the development of national health systems and has thus been the focus of a number of international cooperation projects. An exploratory and qualitative study was conducted to examine cooperation between Brazil, Angola and Cuba. A nonsystematic literature review was conducted of selected open access articles and official documents addressing relevant health cooperation initiatives. Previously selected characteristics of actions designed to redress the shortage of doctors were compared. It was concluded that the interactions between the three countries were fruitful and potentially beneficial for the health of the population of these countries. South-South cooperation between these countries showed positive results in the educational and regulatory dimensions and adopted a non-dependence perspective that seeks to strengthen endogenous capacity, which are important factors for evaluating the structural components of health systems.

Virtual water and water self-sufficiency in agricultural and livestock products in Brazil.

PubMed

da Silva, Vicente de Paulo R; de Oliveira, Sonaly D; Braga, Célia C; Brito, José Ivaldo B; de Sousa, Francisco de Assis S; de Holanda, Romildo M; Campos, João Hugo B C; de Souza, Enio P; Braga, Armando César R; Rodrigues Almeida, Rafaela S; de Araújo, Lincoln E

2016-12-15

Virtual water trade is often considered a solution for restricted water availability in many regions of the world. Brazil is the world leader in the production and export of various agricultural and livestock products. The country is either a strong net importer or a strong net exporter of these products. The objective of this study is to determine the volume of virtual water contained in agricultural and livestock products imported/exported by Brazil from 1997 to 2012, and to define the water self-sufficiency index of agricultural and livestock products in Brazil. The indexes of water scarcity (WSI), water dependency (WDI) and water self-sufficiency (WSSI) were calculated for each Brazilian state. These indexes and the virtual water balance were calculated following the methodology developed by Chapagain and Hoekstra (2008) and Hoekstra and Hung (2005). The total water exports and imports embedded in agricultural and livestock products were 5.28 × 10 10 and 1.22 × 10 10  Gm 3  yr -1 , respectively, which results in positive virtual water balance of 4.05 × 10 10  Gm 3  yr -1 . Brazil is either a strong net importer or a strong net exporter of agricultural and livestock products among the Mercosur countries. Brazil has a positive virtual water balance of 1.85 × 10 10  Gm 3  yr -1 . The indexes used in this study reveal that Brazil is self-sufficient in food production, except for a few products such as wheat and rice. Horticultural products (tomato, onion, potato, cassava and garlic) make up a unique product group with negative virtual water balance in Brazil. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Implications for Arms Control in Technology Transfer to Less Developed Countries (LDC’s). Volume I. Considerations in Controlling Dual-Use Technology Products: An Overview

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-09-01

Mitsubishi Brazil - Mercedes - Benz FranceNetherlands - DAF France - Hispani-Suiza, Sweden - Volvo-Penta SOFAM, Peugeot West Germany - Motor-Turbinen...Mitsubishi Brazil - Mercedes - Benz Netherlands - DAF France - Hispani-Suiza, Sweden - Volvo-Penta SOFAM, Peugeot West Germany - Motor-Turbinen... marketing practices as later described in pages 4-11. This paper examines likely LDC reactions to a situation in which for whatever reason they are

Policies for English Language Teacher Education in Brazil Today: Preliminary Remarks (Políticas para la formación de profesores de inglés en el Brasil de hoy: primeras aproximaciones)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gimenez, Telma; Ferreira, Aparecida de Jesus; Alves Basso, Rosângela Aparecida; Carvalho Cruvinel, Roberta

2016-01-01

In the last decade Brazil has begun to tackle the educational challenges of a developing country with a young population. The scale of such a demand is a result of the social and cultural inequalities that have historically been existent. Recent official policies and programs have addressed this gap by promoting greater opportunities for teacher…

Relative health performance in BRICS over the past 20 years: the winners and losers.

PubMed

Petrie, Dennis; Tang, Kam Ki

2014-06-01

To determine whether the health performance of Brazil, the Russian Federation, India, China and South Africa--the countries known as BRICS--has kept in step with their economic development. Reductions in age- and sex-specific mortality seen in each BRICS country between 1990 and 2011 were measured. These results were compared with those of the best-performing countries in the world and the best-performing countries with similar income levels. We estimated each country's progress in reducing mortality and compared changes in that country's mortality rates against other countries with similar mean incomes to examine changes in avoidable mortality. The relative health performance of the five study countries differed markedly over the study period. Brazil demonstrated fairly even improvement in relative health performance across the different age and sex subgroups that we assessed. India's improvement was more modest and more varied across the subgroups. South Africa and the Russian Federation exhibited large declines in health performance as well as large sex-specific inequalities in health. Although China's levels of avoidable mortality decreased in absolute terms, the level of improvement appeared low in the context of China's economic growth. When evaluating a country's health performance in terms of avoidable mortality, it is useful to compare that performance against the performance of other countries. Such comparison allows any country-specific improvements to be distinguished from general global improvements.

Brazil's National Program for Improving Primary Care Access and Quality (PMAQ)

PubMed Central

Harris, Matthew J.; Rocha, Marcia Gomes

2017-01-01

Despite some remarkable achievements, there are several challenges facing Brazil's Family Health Strategy (FHS), including expanding access to primary care and improving its quality. These concerns motivated the development of the National Program for Improving Primary Care Access and Quality (PMAQ). Although voluntary, the program now includes nearly 39 000 FHS teams in the country and has led to a near doubling of the federal investment in primary care in its first 2 rounds. In this article, we introduce the PMAQ and advance several recommendations to ensure that it continues to improve primary care access and quality in Brazil. PMID:28252498

Lessons learned in developing community mental health care in Latin American and Caribbean countries

PubMed Central

RAZZOUK, DENISE; GREGÓRIO, GUILHERME; ANTUNES, RENATO; MARI, JAIR DE JESUS

2012-01-01

This paper summarizes the findings for the Latin American and Caribbean countries of the WPA Task Force on Steps, Obstacles and Mistakes to Avoid in the Implementation of Community Mental Health Care. It presents an overview of the provision of mental health services in the region; describes key experiences in Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Jamaica and Mexico; and discusses the lessons learned in developing community mental health care. PMID:23024680

Indigenised pharmaceuticals in developing countries: widely used, widely neglected.

PubMed

Haak, H; Hardon, A P

1988-09-10

In many developing countries, Western prescription drugs have become indigenized. They are prepared in traditional ways, administered by traditional healers, sold in local shops, given local names, and widely used in self-medication. Examples are Diatabs and Polymagma in the Philippines and Terramicina and Ambra-Sinto in Brazil. These antibiotics are sprinkled on wounds or taken orally and are given to children whenever they have a fever. In the Cameroon, tetracycline is called Folkolo, which means "wound healer," and in India, Ayurvedic healers assert that penicillin was known to the Brahmanic sages in the past. Health care workers in developing countries should study local drug use patterns before prescribing medications.

Survey of the status of truck safety : Brazil, China, Australia, and the United States.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-05-01

This report reviews the status of truck safety in four countries, Australia, Brazil, China, : and the United States. The report describes the role of road freight transportation in each : country; characterizes the current level of safety; and identi...

Test development and use in five Iberian Latin American countries.

PubMed

Wechsler, Solange M; Oakland, Thomas; León, Carmem; Vivas, Eleonora; de Almeida, Leandro; Franco, Amanda; Pérez-Solís, María; Contini, Norma

2014-08-01

The abundance of scholarship on test development and use generally is higher in English-speaking than in Iberian Latin American countries. The purpose of this article is to help overcome this imbalance by describing and identifying similarities and differences in test development and use in two Iberian (Portugal and Spain) and three of the largest Latin American (Argentina, Brazil, and Venezuela) countries. The stages of test development in each country, roles of professional associations, presence of standards for test use, professionals' educational training, commonly used tests, together with prominent challenges to continued progress are discussed. Test development and use in these five countries are transitioning from a dependence on the use of translated tests to greater reliance on adapted and finally nationally constructed tests. Continued growth requires adherence to international standards guiding test development and use. Stronger alliance among professional associations in the Iberian Latin American countries could serve as a catalyst to promote test development in these regions. © 2014 International Union of Psychological Science.

Income Inequality, Economic Growth and Stroke Mortality in Brazil: Longitudinal and Regional Analysis 2002-2009.

PubMed

Vincens, Natalia; Stafström, Martin

2015-01-01

Stroke accounts for more than 10% of all deaths globally and most of it occurs in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Income inequality and gross domestic product (GDP) per capita has been associated to stroke mortality in developed countries. In LMIC, GDP per capita is considered to be a more relevant health determinant than income inequality. This study aims to investigate if income inequality is associated to stroke mortality in Brazil at large, but also on regional and state levels, and whether GDP per capita modulates the impact of this association. Stroke mortality rates, Gini index and GDP per capita data were pooled for the 2002 to 2009 period from public available databases. Random effects models were fitted, controlling for GDP per capita and other covariates. Income inequality was independently associated to stroke mortality rates, even after controlling for GDP per capita and other covariates. GDP per capita reduced only partially the impact of income inequality on stroke mortality. A decrease in 10 points in the Gini index was associated with 18% decrease in the stroke mortality rate in Brazil. Income inequality was independently associated to stroke mortality in Brazil.

Two-spotted spider mite and its natural enemies on strawberry grown as protected and unprotected crops in Norway and Brazil.

PubMed

Castilho, Raphael C; Duarte, Vanessa S; de Moraes, Gilberto J; Westrum, Karin; Trandem, Nina; Rocha, Luiz Carlos D; Delalibera, Italo; Klingen, Ingeborg

2015-08-01

Cultivation of strawberry in plastic tunnels has increased considerably in Norway and in southeastern Brazil, mainly in an attempt to protect the crop from unsuitable climatic factors and some diseases as well as to allow growers to expand the traditional production season. It has been hypothesized that cultivation under tunnels could increase the incidence of one of its major pests in many countries where strawberry is cultivated, including Norway and Brazil, the two spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the use of tunnels on the incidence of T. urticae and on its natural enemies on strawberry in two ecologically contrasting regions, Norway (temperate) and southeastern Brazil (subtropical). In both countries, peak densities of T. urticae in tunnels and in the open fields were lower than economic thresholds reported in the literature. Factors determining that systematically seem to be the prevailing relatively low temperature in Norway and high relative humidity in both countries. The levels of occurrence in Norway and Brazil in 2010 were so low that regardless of any potential effect of the use of tunnel, no major differences were observed between the two cropping systems in relation to T. urticae densities. In 2009 in Norway and in 2011 in Brazil, increase in T. urticae population seemed to have been restrained mainly by rainfall in the open field and by predatory mites in the tunnels. Phytoseiids were the most numerous predatory mite group of natural occurrence on strawberry, and the prevalence was higher in Brazil, where the most abundant species on strawberry leaves were Neoseiulus anonymus and Phytoseiulus macropilis. In Norway, the most abundant naturally occurring phytoseiids on strawberry leaves were Typhlodromus (Anthoseius) rhenanus and Typhlodromus (Typhlodromus) pyri. Predatory mites were very rare in the litter samples collected in Norway. Infection rate of the pest by the fungus Neozygites floridana (Neozygitaceae) was low. The results of this work suggest that in Norway the use of tunnels might not affect the population densities of T. urticae on strawberry in years of lower temperatures. When temperature is not a limiting factor for the development of T. urticae in that country (apparently always the case in southern Brazil), strawberry cultivation in the tunnels may allow T. urticae to reach higher population levels than in open fields (because of the provided protection from the direct impact of rainfall), but natural enemies may prevent higher levels from being reached.

Palliative Cancer Care in Brazil: The Perspective of Nurses and Physicians.

PubMed

da Silva, Marcelle M; Büscher, Andreas; Moreira, Marléa Chagas

Palliative care is a recent development in health worldwide. In Brazil, a growing number of people with cancer require palliative care, emphasizing the need for investment in this aspect of health to increase the quality of life of patients during the dying process. As a developing country, Brazil lacks knowledge regarding the themes, material and financial resources, and policies of palliative care. The aim of this study was to provide insights into the Brazilian palliative care system from the perspectives of nurses and physicians. This was a descriptive and qualitative study, conducted at the palliative care unit of the Instituto Nacional de Câncer in Brazil. Twelve professionals, among them 8 nurses and 4 physicians, were interviewed in November 2013. The data were analyzed using the thematic analysis method. Ethical aspects were respected. The perspectives of the participants were characterized by 3 themes regarding the initial phase of development of palliative cancer care in Brazil: (1) controversies about when palliative cancer care should be initiated, (2) the World Health Organization recommendations and current practices, and (3) the need to invest in palliative cancer care education in Brazil. The development of palliative care is in the initial stages, and there is a possibility for growth due to recent advances. Knowledge about these challenges to palliative care could contribute to the development of strategies, such as the establishment of service organizations and networks, as well as educational and political investments for the advancement of palliative care.

Reliability of Nationwide Prevalence Estimates of Dementia: A Critical Appraisal Based on Brazilian Surveys

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Background The nationwide dementia prevalence is usually calculated by applying the results of local surveys to countries’ populations. To evaluate the reliability of such estimations in developing countries, we chose Brazil as an example. We carried out a systematic review of dementia surveys, ascertained their risk of bias, and present the best estimate of occurrence of dementia in Brazil. Methods and Findings We carried out an electronic search of PubMed, Latin-American databases, and a Brazilian thesis database for surveys focusing on dementia prevalence in Brazil. The systematic review was registered at PROSPERO (CRD42014008815). Among the 35 studies found, 15 analyzed population-based random samples. However, most of them utilized inadequate criteria for diagnostics. Six studies without these limitations were further analyzed to assess the risk of selection, attrition, outcome and population bias as well as several statistical issues. All the studies presented moderate or high risk of bias in at least two domains due to the following features: high non-response, inaccurate cut-offs, and doubtful accuracy of the examiners. Two studies had limited external validity due to high rates of illiteracy or low income. The three studies with adequate generalizability and the lowest risk of bias presented a prevalence of dementia between 7.1% and 8.3% among subjects aged 65 years and older. However, after adjustment for accuracy of screening, the best available evidence points towards a figure between 15.2% and 16.3%. Conclusions The risk of bias may strongly limit the generalizability of dementia prevalence estimates in developing countries. Extrapolations that have already been made for Brazil and Latin America were based on a prevalence that should have been adjusted for screening accuracy or not used at all due to severe bias. Similar evaluations regarding other developing countries are needed in order to verify the scope of these limitations. PMID:26131563

Educational Development in Brazil.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Browne Do Rego, George

1990-01-01

Maintains that historical and cultural studies must be given the same consideration as sociological and political theories when analyzing the problems of developing countries. Examines the work of Gilberto Freyre and its application to the problems of modernization of Brazilian education and society. Compares the work of Paulo Freire and Freyre.…

"His Last Command, Our First Concern"™: An Evaluation on Haggai Institute's Training at the National Level in Fostering Evangelistic Engagement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Famadas, Francisco

2016-01-01

The doctoral project developed a self-assessment tool that was provided to individuals who have participated in seminars conducted in their countries to ascertain their evaluation of the impact of Haggai Institute's training vis-a-vis increased evangelistic engagement. Data was gathered from alumni from the following countries: Brazil, Colombia,…

Research trends on pathogenic Cryptococcus species in the last 20 years: a global analysis with focus on Brazil.

PubMed

Albuquerque, Priscila C; Rodrigues, Marcio L

2012-03-01

Recent data demonstrates that cryptococcosis caused by Cryptococcus neoformans or Cryptococcus gattii kills approximately 600,000 people per year in the world. In Brazil, cryptococcosis has recently been identified as the most fatal mycosis in AIDS patients. In this study, we aimed to map research into C. neoformans and C. gattii in the world, with a focus on the Brazilian contribution to this area. The parameters used for this analysis were based on publication records, including number of articles published, citation indices, journal impact factor and distribution of authorship in the last two decades. Our global analysis of publications demonstrated that, in the last 20 years, the USA was the country that produced the highest number of scientific articles in the Cryptococcus field, while Brazil occupied the third position. Brazilian productivity, however, showed a steady tendency to increase, in contrast to the USA and other countries. The average impact factor of journals at which articles authored by Brazilians were published was 2.58, which represented approximately half the value found for papers of American authorship. Studies authored by Brazilian scientists showed relatively low averages of citations per article, in comparison to papers published by researchers from the USA, France, Australia, The Netherlands and Germany, among others. This study demonstrates that the contribution of Brazilian scientists to the Cryptococcus field is continually growing, although papers produced in Brazil apparently have poor repercussion in comparison to those generated in developed countries.

Ground-water provinces of Brazil

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schneider, Robert

1962-01-01

As part of a study of the status of investigations and development of ground water in Brazil, made under the auspices of the United States International Cooperation Administration and with the cooperation of the Government of Brazil, the country was divided into seven ground-water provinces. The identification and delineation of the provinces were based on the regional distribution of the dominant geologic units which are known or inferred to have distinctive water-bearing characteristics. Three of the provinces, covering most of the country, are underlain by Precambrian crystalline rocks. Three others coincide in part with four extensive sedimentary basins--the Parnaiba or Maranhfio basin and the contiguous Sao Francisco basin in the northeast and east, the Amazon basin in the north and northwest, and the Paranfi basin in the south and southwest. In addition, the narrow, discontinuous coastal plain is considered as a province. the occurrence of ground water is discussed briefly, and pertinent data are given on the more important aquifers, together with information on some existing wells. Because of the widespread distribution of crystalline rocks of low permeability, it is difficult in many areas to develop large or even adequate ground-water supplies. In general, satisfactory supplies of water are available in most of the rest of the country. Some problems include the relative deficiency of rainfall in the northeast together with the occurrence, in parts of this region, of mineralized water in the crystalline rocks. Also, there is a potential problem of excessive lowering of water levels and interference among wells in the intensively developed area of the city of Sao Paulo.

An international surgical exchange program for children with cleft lip/cleft palate in Manaus, Brazil: patient and family expectations of outcome.

PubMed

Reeve, Mary-Elizabeth; Groce, Nora E; Persing, John A; Magge, Sheela N

2004-01-01

Increasingly, surgeons are traveling from the developed to the developing world to volunteer their services. They can often make an enormous difference in the lives of patients they serve, but they must understand that these patients exist in a sociocultural matrix in which the meaning of the condition they have and the future they face are determined by a host of factors over and above the specific surgery itself. This means that programs in which teams quickly go in and out of a country must take into account and plan for longer term follow-up by colleagues within that country as well as develop and target rehabilitation services and educational messages to ensure maximum benefits from the intervention performed. This study examines the long-term implications of a short-term surgical team intervention for pediatric patients with cleft lip/cleft palate and their families in the Amazon region of Brazil.

Setting development goals using stochastic dynamical system models

PubMed Central

Nicolis, Stamatios C.; Bali Swain, Ranjula; Sumpter, David J. T.

2017-01-01

The Millennium Development Goals (MDG) programme was an ambitious attempt to encourage a globalised solution to important but often-overlooked development problems. The programme led to wide-ranging development but it has also been criticised for unrealistic and arbitrary targets. In this paper, we show how country-specific development targets can be set using stochastic, dynamical system models built from historical data. In particular, we show that the MDG target of two-thirds reduction of child mortality from 1990 levels was infeasible for most countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. At the same time, the MDG targets were not ambitious enough for fast-developing countries such as Brazil and China. We suggest that model-based setting of country-specific targets is essential for the success of global development programmes such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). This approach should provide clear, quantifiable targets for policymakers. PMID:28241057

Setting development goals using stochastic dynamical system models.

PubMed

Ranganathan, Shyam; Nicolis, Stamatios C; Bali Swain, Ranjula; Sumpter, David J T

2017-01-01

The Millennium Development Goals (MDG) programme was an ambitious attempt to encourage a globalised solution to important but often-overlooked development problems. The programme led to wide-ranging development but it has also been criticised for unrealistic and arbitrary targets. In this paper, we show how country-specific development targets can be set using stochastic, dynamical system models built from historical data. In particular, we show that the MDG target of two-thirds reduction of child mortality from 1990 levels was infeasible for most countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. At the same time, the MDG targets were not ambitious enough for fast-developing countries such as Brazil and China. We suggest that model-based setting of country-specific targets is essential for the success of global development programmes such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). This approach should provide clear, quantifiable targets for policymakers.

Twenty years of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in Brazil: a review of epidemiological and clinical aspects.

PubMed

Pinto Junior, Vitor Laerte; Hamidad, Amani Moura; Albuquerque Filho, Dalcy de Oliveira; dos Santos, Vitorino Modesto

2014-02-13

Hantavirus infection is transmitted to humans by wild rodents and the most common clinical form in Brazil is the Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS). The first serological evidence of the disease was identified in 1990, in Recife, Pernambuco State, and later in 1993 in Juquitiba, State of São Paulo. Since then there has been a progressive increase in case notification in all regions of the country. The clinical aspects of the disease in Brazil are characterized by a prodromal phase, with nonspecific signs and symptoms of an acute febrile illness. After about three days, respiratory distress develops, accompanied by dry cough that turns progressively productive, evolving to dyspnea and respiratory failure with cardiogenic shock. Although the majority of patients receive hospital care in intensive care therapy units, case-fatality rate in Brazil ranges from 33% to 100% depending on the region. Besides it has to be added the problem of differential diagnosis with other prevalent diseases in the country, like dengue and leptospirosis. Questions about the impact of uncontrolled urbanization and other environmental changes caused by human action have been raised. Due to increasing incidence and high case-fatality, there is an urge to respond to such questions to recommend preventative measures. This article aims to review the main acquisitions in clinical and epidemiological knowledge about HPS in Brazil in the last twenty years.

Mother to child transmission of HIV in Brazil: Data from the "Birth in Brazil study", a national hospital-based study.

PubMed

Domingues, Rosa Maria Soares Madeira; Saraceni, Valeria; Leal, Maria do Carmo

2018-01-01

to estimate the mother to child transmission (MTCT) of HIV among infected pregnant women identified in the "Birth in Brazil" study and to evaluate care practices provided in order to identify missed opportunities at preventing the MTCT of HIV infection in the country. Descriptive study using data obtained from the consultation of different databases: the "Birth in Brazil" study database and the Brazilian National Information Systems (NIS) databases. We used cases of pregnant women infected with HIV identified in the "Birth in Brazil" study, and cases of AIDS in children under 5 years old identified in the NIS, to estimate the MTCT of HIV infection in the country, with a 95% confidence interval. We also estimated the HIV cascade (HIV diagnosis; use of antiretroviral treatment (ART) during pregnancy, labour, and for the newborn; adequate care during childbirth considering viral load at birth; and no breastfeeding) using data from the same sources. MTCT of HIV of 2.0% (95% CI 0.3%-13.8%). At birth, 84.0% of HIV infected woman showed a positive HIV diagnosis, 74.9% received combined ART during pregnancy, 80.7% received ART during childbirth, 77.1% received adequate care during childbirth, 86.8% of newborns received ART within the first 24 hours after birth, and 2.8% of newborns were breastfed. Considering all steps, 61.3% of the women (95% CI 48.3%-72.8%) received all available medical interventions. In the analysis restricted to women identified in the NIS, 65.3% (95% CI 48.0%-79.3%) of HIV infected women received all available medical interventions. Brazil has healthcare policies that guarantee free access to tests, ART and substitutes for maternal milk. However, missed opportunities to prevent MTCT of HIV were identified in at least one-third of women and may be making it difficult to reach HIV-elimination targets especially in the less developed country regions.

77 FR 18862 - Brazil: Competitive Factors Affecting U.S. and Brazilian Agricultural Sales in Selected Third...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-28

... INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION [Investigation No. 332-524] Brazil: Competitive Factors Affecting U.S. and Brazilian Agricultural Sales in Selected Third Country Markets AGENCY: United States... Committee in investigation No. 332-524, Brazil: Competitive Factors In Brazil Affecting U.S. and Brazilian...

Socioeconomic inequalities and mortality trends in BRICS, 1990-2010.

PubMed

Mújica, Oscar J; Vázquez, Enrique; Duarte, Elisabeth C; Cortez-Escalante, Juan J; Molina, Joaquin; Barbosa da Silva Junior, Jarbas

2014-06-01

To explore the presence and magnitude of--and change in--socioeconomic and health inequalities between and within Brazil, the Russian Federation, India, China and South Africa--the countries known as BRICS--between 1990 and 2010. Comparable data on socioeconomic and health indicators, at both country and primary subnational levels, were obtained from publicly available sources. Health inequalities between and within countries were identified and summarized by using standard gap and gradient metrics. Four of the BRICS countries showed increases in both income level and income inequality between 1990 and 2010. The exception was Brazil, where income inequality decreased over the same period. Between-country inequalities in level of education and access to sanitation remained mostly unchanged but the largest between-country difference in mean life expectancy increased, from 9 years in 1990 to 20 years in 2010. Throughout the study period, there was disproportionality in the burden of disease between BRICS. However, the national infant mortality rate fell substantially over the study period in all five countries. In Brazil and China, the magnitude of subnational income-related inequalities in infant mortality, both absolute and relative, also decreased substantially. Despite the economic prosperity and general improvements in health seen since 1990, profound inequalities in health persist both within and between BRICS. However, the substantial reductions observed--within Brazil and China--in the inequalities in income-related levels of infant mortality are encouraging.

[Socio-environmental vulnerability, disaster risk-reduction and resilience-building: lessons from the earthquake in Haiti and torrential rains in the mountain range close to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil].

PubMed

de Freitas, Carlos Machado; de Carvalho, Mauren Lopes; Ximenes, Elisa Francioli; Arraes, Eduardo Fonseca; Gomes, José Orlando

2012-06-01

Data on disasters around the world reveal greater seriousness in countries with lower social and economic development levels. In this context, disaster risk-reduction and resilience-building policies are priorities in the sustainable development agenda, featuring among the topics selected for the Rio+20 Summit. By means of a contribution of a conceptual nature and from examples of disasters in countries with different development levels, namely the Haiti earthquake and the torrential rains in the mountain range close to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, the scope of this article is to demonstrate how socio-environmental vulnerability creates conditions for disasters, while at the same time limiting strategies for their prevention and mitigation. Lastly, some of the measures that disaster risk reduction and resilience-building demand in a socio-environmental vulnerability context are highlighted. These involve changes in the current patterns of social, economic and environmental development geared toward ecological sustainability and social justice as pillars of sustainable development.

Noise in large cities in Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gerges, Samir N. Y.

2004-05-01

Large cities' noise is considered by the World Health Organization to be the third most hazardous pollution, preceded by air and water pollution. In urban centers, in general, and especially in developing countries such as Brazil, large populations are affected by excessive noise due mainly to traffic flow. The Brazilian Federal Government specifies noise limits, but each state can enforce its own set of noise limits, providing they are lower. The rapid economic growth, together with large migration of northern Brazilians to the developing southern urban areas in search of more lucrative jobs in construction and industrial sectors, resulted in a fast increase in activities such as vehicle and bus traffic, home construction, and development of all necessary infrastructures to support this growth. Urban noise in Brazil has been receiving the attention of national authorities only since 1990, when the Federal Government approved the first ``Program of Community Silence,'' based on ISO R 1996-1971. This paper highlights the noise situation in the five largest and most populated cities in Brazil: Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Porto Alegre and Curitiba [Zannin et al., Appl. Acoust. 63, 351-358 (2002)].

Measuring the invisible: Analysis of the Sustainable Development Goals in relation to populations exposed to drought.

PubMed

Sena, Aderita; de Freitas, Carlos Machado; Barcellos, Christovam; Ramalho, Walter; Corvalan, Carlos

2016-03-01

Brazil, together with all the member countries of the United Nations, is in a process of adoption of a group of Sustainable Development Goals, including targets and indicators. This article considers the implications of these goals and their proposed targets, for the Semi-Arid region of Brazil. This region has recurring droughts which may worsen with climate change, further weakening the situation of access of water for human consumption in sufficient quantity and quality, and as a result, the health conditions of the exposed populations. This study identifies the relationship between drought and health, in an effort to measure progress in this region (1,135 municipalities), comparing relevant indicators with the other 4,430 municipalities in Brazil, based on census data from 1991, 2000 and 2010. Important inequalities between the municipalities of this region and the municipalities of the rest of Brazil are identified, and discussed in the context of what is necessary for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in the Semi-arid Region, principally in relation to the measures for adaptation to achieve universal and equitable access to drinking water.

Inequality in the distribution of rheumatologists in Brazil: correlation with local of medical residency, Gross Domestic Product and Human Development Index.

PubMed

de Albuquerque, Cleandro Pires

2014-01-01

To assess the distribution of rheumatologists in Brazil and their correlation with Medical Residency specialization offer, Gross Domestic Product (Gdp) And Municipal Human Development Index (HDI-M) of units of the federation (UFs). Query to various official databases, data summarization by techniques for descriptive statistics and cross-referenced information. For correlation analysis, we used the Spearman correlation coefficient (r). There were 1229 rheumatologists regularly registered in the country. The Northern region had only 3.6% of the total (n = 44), while the Southeast had 42.2% (n = 519). The State capitals, added to the five largest municipalities in each UF, concentrated 75.8% of these specialists (n = 931). In total, 49.9% of rheumatologists offered treatment at SUS. A general ratio of 157,809 inhabitants per rheumatologist in Brazil was determined, but with wide variation among UFs with respect to this ratio. In the years 2000-2012, there were 593 Rheumatology Residency graduated physicians in Brazil. We observed a positive correlation among number of rheumatologists compared with GDP (r = 0.94), HDI-M of the State capitals (r = 0.77) and number of Rheumatology Residency graduated physicians (r = 0.79) in UFs. We noted a strong concentration of rheumatologists in State capitals and larger municipalities, with noticeable inequalities also between UFs and country regions. The distribution of these professionals accompanied GDP, HDI-M of the State capital and number of Rheumatology Residency graduated physicians, suggesting that factors related to income opportunities and human development and the place of speciality training may influence the geographical fixation of rheumatologists.

The production of articles on cardiology from Latin America in Medline indexed journals.

PubMed

Borracci, Raúl A; Di Stéfano, María M; Voos Budal Arins, Marcel G; Calderón, José G E; Manente, Diego; Giorgi, Mariano A; Piñeiro, Daniel J; Dones, Wistremundo

2011-01-01

Latin America has dramatically increased the number of articles Publisher from 1995 to 2002, but the individual contribution of each country appears to be very unequal. To analyze the production of articles on Cardiology research published in Latin American countries in the past years in international journals. A bibliography search was carried out throughout PubMed in regards to biomedical articles in general and on Cardiology in particular, corresponding to the period 1987-2006. A total of 106,871 biomedical articles was identified, and 11,416 on Cardiology published between 1997 and 2006 by Latin American countries. This corresponds to 10.6% of articles on cardiovascular disease over the total. Brazil, Mexico and Argentina contributed with 80% of the publications in Latin America in the same period. The magnitude of growth since 1987 was between 5.9- and 15-fold for these countries. In regards to Brazil, since 1998 a significant increased number of publications was noted compared to Mexico and Argentina (P=0.0001). The impact factor of the journals where each country published during 2006 showed that it was in average higher in the publications from Chile and Argentina compared to Brazil and Mexico (P<0.001). The scientific production in Cardiology from Latin America shows dramatic differences among the countries, and Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina alone provide 80% of the publications. Brazil seems to have led the region for 20 years, especially since 1998. From the quality of the articles point of view, considering the impact factor, Chile and Argentina appear to be better positioned.

[Scientific production in clinical medicine and international collaboration networks in South American countries].

PubMed

Huamaní, Charles; González A, Gregorio; Curioso, Walter H; Pacheco-Romero, José

2012-04-01

International collaboration is increasingly used in biomedical research. To describe the characteristics of scientific production in Latin America and the main international collaboration networks for the period 2000 to 2009. Search for papers generated in Latin American countries in the Clinical Medicine database of ISI Web of Knowledge v.4.10 - Current Contents Connect. The country of origin of the corresponding author was considered the producing country of the paper. International collaboration was analyzed calculating the number of countries that contributed to the generation of a particular paper. Collaboration networks were graphed to determine the centrality of each network. Twelve Latin American countries participated in the production of 253,362 papers. The corresponding author was South American in 79% of these papers. Sixteen percent of papers were on clinical medicine and 36% of these were carried out in collaboration. Brazil had the highest production (22,442 papers) and the lower percentage of international collaboration (31%). North America accounts for 63% of collaborating countries. Only 8% of collaboration is between South American countries. Brazil has the highest tendency to collaborate with other South American countries. Brazil is the South American country with the highest scientific production and indicators of centrality in South America. The most common collaboration networks are with North American countries.

Drinking Water Quality Governance: A Comparative Case Study of Brazil, Ecuador, and Malawi.

PubMed

Kayser, Georgia L; Amjad, Urooj; Dalcanale, Fernanda; Bartram, Jamie; Bentley, Margaret E

2015-04-01

Human health is greatly affected by inadequate access to sufficient and safe drinking water, especially in low and middle-income countries. Drinking water governance improvements may be one way to better drinking water quality. Over the past decade, many projects and international organizations have been dedicated to water governance; however, water governance in the drinking water sector is understudied and how to improve water governance remains unclear. We analyze drinking water governance challenges in three countries-Brazil, Ecuador, and Malawi-as perceived by government, service providers, and civil society organizations. A mixed methods approach was used: a clustering model was used for country selection and qualitative semi-structured interviews were used with direct observation in data collection. The clustering model integrated political, economic, social and environmental variables that impact water sector performance, to group countries. Brazil, Ecuador and Malawi were selected with the model so as to enhance the generalizability of the results. This comparative case study is important because similar challenges are identified in the drinking water sectors of each country; while, the countries represent diverse socio-economic and political contexts, and the selection process provides generalizability to our results. We find that access to safe water could be improved if certain water governance challenges were addressed: coordination and data sharing between ministries that deal with drinking water services; monitoring and enforcement of water quality laws; and sufficient technical capacity to improve administrative and technical management of water services at the local level. From an analysis of our field research, we also developed a conceptual framework that identifies policy levers that could be used to influence governance of drinking water quality on national and sub-national levels, and the relationships between these levers.

Recent Trends in Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health in Brazil: Progress Toward Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5

PubMed Central

Matijasevich, Alicia; Requejo, Jennifer Harris; Giugliani, Elsa; Maranhão, Ana Goretti; Monteiro, Carlos A.; Barros, Aluísio J. D.; Bustreo, Flavia; Merialdi, Mario; Victora, Cesar G.

2010-01-01

We analyzed Brazil's efforts in reducing child mortality, improving maternal and child health, and reducing socioeconomic and regional inequalities from 1990 through 2007. We compiled and reanalyzed data from several sources, including vital statistics and population-based surveys. We also explored the roles of broad socioeconomic and demographic changes and the introduction of health sector and other reform measures in explaining the improvements observed. Our findings provide compelling evidence that proactive measures to reduce health disparities accompanied by socioeconomic progress can result in measurable improvements in the health of children and mothers in a relatively short interval. Our analysis of Brazil's successes and remaining challenges to reach and surpass Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 can provide important lessons for other low- and middle-income countries. PMID:20724669

Adult Education and Indigenous Peoples in Brazil. International Survey on Adult Education for Indigenous Peoples. Country Study: Brazil.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lopes da Silva, Aracy

Adult education for indigenous peoples in Brazil was examined. First, information on government institutions, indigenous organizations, international agencies, and nongovernmental organizations engaged in adult education for Brazil's indigenous peoples was compiled. Next, questionnaires and survey techniques were used to research the policy and…

Dependent convergence: the importation of technological hazards by semiperipheral countries.

PubMed

Siqueira, C E; Levenstein, C

2000-01-01

This article complements the substantial body of literature produced over the last three decades on the export of hazards from developed countries to developing countries. After reviewing the central arguments proposed by this literature, the authors add to the debate by focusing on the role of national actors in the importation of these hazards, based on the experience of late 1970s' developments in the petrochemical industry in Brazil. The Brazilian case indicates that social struggles and/or interactions among actors in developing and developed nations determine to what extent hazardous technologies are imported without environmental controls and to what extent their hazardous effects are controlled by these nations. This study suggests that the future development of a more inclusive theory of export-import of hazardous technologies and products should take into account the dialectical relationship established between social actors internal to the exporting and importing countries.

Genetic Diversity of Brazilian Aedes aegypti: Patterns following an Eradication Program

PubMed Central

Monteiro, Fernando A.; Shama, Renata; Martins, Ademir J.; Gloria-Soria, Andrea; Brown, Julia E.; Powell, Jeffrey R.

2014-01-01

Background Aedes aegypti is the most important vector of dengue fever in Brazil, where severe epidemics have recently taken place. Ae. aegypti in Brazil was the subject of an intense eradication program in the 1940s and 50s to control yellow fever. Brazil was the largest country declared free of this mosquito by the Pan-American Health Organization in 1958. Soon after relaxation of this program, Ae. aegypti reappeared in this country, and by the early 1980s dengue fever had been reported. The aim of this study is to analyze the present-day genetic patterns of Ae. aegypti populations in Brazil. Methodology/Principal Findings We studied the genetic variation in samples of 11 widely spread populations of Ae. aegypti in Brazil based on 12 well-established microsatellite loci. Our principal finding is that present-day Brazilian Ae. aegypti populations form two distinct groups, one in the northwest and one in the southeast of the country. These two groups have genetic affinities to northern South American countries and the Caribbean, respectively. This is consistent with what has been reported for other genetic markers such as mitochondrial DNA and allele frequencies at the insecticide resistance gene, kdr. Conclusions/Significance We conclude that the genetic patterns in present day populations of Ae. aegypti in Brazil are more consistent with a complete eradication of the species in the recent past followed by re-colonization, rather than the alternative possibility of expansion from residual pockets of refugia. At least two colonizations are likely to have taken place, one from northern South American countries (e.g., Venezuela) that founded the northwestern group, and one from the Caribbean that founded the southeastern group. The proposed source areas were never declared free of Ae. aegypti. PMID:25233218

Labor redundancy, retraining, and outplacement during privatization : the experience of Brazil's federal railway

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-10-01

As infrastructure privatization experiences in developing countries progress, there is increasing evidence that their impact on employment is one of their most complex and politically challenging elements. In many cases-although not always- the main ...

Casting off vaccine supply charity -- the pace quickens. CVI goal: quality vaccines for all children.

PubMed

1995-10-01

Several proposals are offered for production of high-quality vaccines within developing countries. The World Health Organization's Vaccine Supply and Quality (VSQ) team from the Global Program for Vaccines and Immunization (GPV) visited 10 countries (Bangladesh, Brazil, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Mexico, Pakistan, Philippines, and South Africa) out of 14 priority countries (China, Russia, Thailand, and Vietnam were not visited) producing vaccines and found only two with a quality control system that was acceptable. Vaccine-producing countries are urged to consider the full costs of production that include necessary infrastructure, an independent national control authority and laboratory, manufacturers with managerial autonomy, and manufacturers with good management, a qualified staff, and adequate technology. UNICEF has urged both private and public sectors to combine forces in bringing down the price of new vaccines for distribution to a very large market. Some imaginative proposals were made by some manufacturers for vaccine production and supply for a range of less traditional vaccines. The Director of the Massachusetts Public Health Biologic Laboratories proposed the formation of a consortium of vaccine manufacturers who would support public health priorities for market-affordable, simple vaccines against the major childhood diseases. The aim would be international validation of high-quality local vaccine production in developing countries, ease of research collaboration, improvement in information exchange between countries, and structured assistance. Lack of political commitment has been blamed for poor quality local production. A small cooperative effort among some Latin American countries, the Pan American Association's Regional Vaccine System for Latin America (SIREVA), is backed by the Children's Vaccine Initiative. SIREVA is a consortium of manufacturers in Brazil, Chile, and Mexico that plans joint development of some vaccines. Donor assistance is suggested for UNICEF's new targeting strategy and global vaccine fund for well-defined and specific needs. UNICEF is the main distributor of vaccines to developing countries and aims for program sustainability and distribution of the new vaccines.

77 FR 65457 - Provision of U.S. Drug Interdiction Assistance to the Government of Brazil

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-29

... be primarily engaged in illicit drug trafficking in that country's airspace is necessary because of the extraordinary threat posed by illicit drug trafficking to the national security of that country... October 11, 2012 Provision of U.S. Drug Interdiction Assistance to the Government of Brazil Memorandum for...

75 FR 75853 - Provision of U.S. Drug Interdiction Assistance to the Government of Brazil

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-07

... be primarily engaged in illicit drug trafficking in that country's airspace is necessary because of the extraordinary threat posed by illicit drug trafficking to the national security of that country... October 15, 2010 Provision of U.S. Drug Interdiction Assistance to the Government of Brazil Memorandum for...

Genetics against race: Science, politics and affirmative action in Brazil.

PubMed

Kent, Michael; Wade, Peter

2015-12-01

This article analyses interrelations between genetic ancestry research, political conflict and social identity. It focuses on the debate on race-based affirmative action policies, which have been implemented in Brazil since the turn of the century. Genetic evidence of high levels of admixture in the Brazilian population has become a key element of arguments that question the validity of the category of race for the development of public policies. In response, members of Brazil's black movement have dismissed the relevance of genetics by arguing, first, that in Brazil race functions as a social--rather than a biological--category, and, second, that racial classification and discrimination in this country are based on appearance, rather than on genotype. This article highlights the importance of power relations and political interests in shaping public engagements with genetic research and their social consequences.

Dynamics in the Fitness-Income plane: Brazilian states vs World countries

PubMed Central

Operti, Felipe G.; Pugliese, Emanuele; Andrade, José S.; Pietronero, Luciano

2018-01-01

In this paper we introduce a novel algorithm, called Exogenous Fitness, to calculate the Fitness of subnational entities and we apply it to the states of Brazil. In the last decade, several indices were introduced to measure the competitiveness of countries by looking at the complexity of their export basket. Tacchella et al (2012) developed a non-monetary metric called Fitness. In this paper, after an overview about Brazil as a whole and the comparison with the other BRIC countries, we introduce a new methodology based on the Fitness algorithm, called Exogenous Fitness. Combining the results with the Gross Domestic Product per capita (GDPp), we look at the dynamics of the Brazilian states in the Fitness-Income plane. Two regimes are distinguishable: one with high predictability and the other with low predictability, showing a deep analogy with the heterogeneous dynamics of the World countries. Furthermore, we compare the ranking of the Brazilian states according to the Exogenous Fitness with the ranking obtained through two other techniques, namely Endogenous Fitness and Economic Complexity Index. PMID:29874265

Dynamics in the Fitness-Income plane: Brazilian states vs World countries.

PubMed

Operti, Felipe G; Pugliese, Emanuele; Andrade, José S; Pietronero, Luciano; Gabrielli, Andrea

2018-01-01

In this paper we introduce a novel algorithm, called Exogenous Fitness, to calculate the Fitness of subnational entities and we apply it to the states of Brazil. In the last decade, several indices were introduced to measure the competitiveness of countries by looking at the complexity of their export basket. Tacchella et al (2012) developed a non-monetary metric called Fitness. In this paper, after an overview about Brazil as a whole and the comparison with the other BRIC countries, we introduce a new methodology based on the Fitness algorithm, called Exogenous Fitness. Combining the results with the Gross Domestic Product per capita (GDPp), we look at the dynamics of the Brazilian states in the Fitness-Income plane. Two regimes are distinguishable: one with high predictability and the other with low predictability, showing a deep analogy with the heterogeneous dynamics of the World countries. Furthermore, we compare the ranking of the Brazilian states according to the Exogenous Fitness with the ranking obtained through two other techniques, namely Endogenous Fitness and Economic Complexity Index.

Childhood obesity and the metabolic syndrome in developing countries.

PubMed

Gupta, Nidhi; Shah, Priyali; Nayyar, Sugandha; Misra, Anoop

2013-03-01

Rapidly changing dietary practices accompanied by an increasingly sedentary lifestyle predispose to nutrition-related non-communicable diseases, including childhood obesity. Over the last 5 y, reports from several developing countries indicate prevalence rates of obesity (inclusive of overweight) >15 % in children and adolescents aged 5-19 y; Mexico 41.8 %, Brazil 22.1 %, India 22.0 % and Argentina 19.3 %. Moreover, secular trends also indicate an alarming increase in obesity in developing countries; in Brazil from 4.1 % to 13.9 % between 1974 and 1997; in China from 6.4 % to 7.7 % between 1991 and 1997; and in India from 4.9 % to 6.6 % between 2003-04 to 2005-06. Other contributory factors to childhood obesity include: high socio-economic status, residence in metropolitan cities and female gender. Childhood obesity tracks into adulthood, thus increasing the risk for conditions like the metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), polycystic ovarian syndrome, hypertension, dyslipidemia and coronary artery disease later in life. Interestingly, prevalence of the metabolic syndrome was 35.2 % among overweight Chinese adolescents. Presence of central obesity (high waist-to-hip circumference ratio) along with hypertriglyceridemia and family history of T2DM increase the odds of T2DM by 112.1 in young Asian Indians (< 40 y). Therapeutic lifestyle changes and maintenance of regular physical activity are most important strategies for preventing childhood obesity. Effective health awareness educational programs for children should be immediately initiated in developing countries, following the successful model program in India (project 'MARG').

Human Capital Development: Comparative Analysis of BRICs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ardichvili, Alexandre; Zavyalova, Elena; Minina, Vera

2012-01-01

Purpose: The goal of this article is to conduct macro-level analysis of human capital (HC) development strategies, pursued by four countries commonly referred to as BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India, and China). Design/methodology/approach: This analysis is based on comparisons of macro indices of human capital and innovativeness of the economy and a…

Socioeconomic inequalities and mortality trends in BRICS, 1990–2010

PubMed Central

Mújica, Oscar J; Vázquez, Enrique; Duarte, Elisabeth C; Cortez-Escalante, Juan J; Molina, Joaquin

2014-01-01

Abstract Objective To explore the presence and magnitude of – and change in – socioeconomic and health inequalities between and within Brazil, the Russian Federation, India, China and South Africa – the countries known as BRICS – between 1990 and 2010. Methods Comparable data on socioeconomic and health indicators, at both country and primary subnational levels, were obtained from publicly available sources. Health inequalities between and within countries were identified and summarized by using standard gap and gradient metrics. Findings Four of the BRICS countries showed increases in both income level and income inequality between 1990 and 2010. The exception was Brazil, where income inequality decreased over the same period. Between-country inequalities in level of education and access to sanitation remained mostly unchanged but the largest between-country difference in mean life expectancy increased, from 9 years in 1990 to 20 years in 2010. Throughout the study period, there was disproportionality in the burden of disease between BRICS. However, the national infant mortality rate fell substantially over the study period in all five countries. In Brazil and China, the magnitude of subnational income-related inequalities in infant mortality, both absolute and relative, also decreased substantially. Conclusion Despite the economic prosperity and general improvements in health seen since 1990, profound inequalities in health persist both within and between BRICS. However, the substantial reductions observed – within Brazil and China – in the inequalities in income-related levels of infant mortality are encouraging. PMID:24940014

Occurrence, control and fate of contaminants of emerging concern in environmental compartments in Brazil.

PubMed

Starling, Maria Clara V M; Amorim, Camila C; Leão, Mônica Maria D

2018-04-22

This is the first review to present data obtained in Brazil over the years regarding contaminants of emerging concern (CEC) and to contrast it with contamination in other countries. Data gathered indicated that caffeine, paracetamol, atenolol, ibuprofen, cephalexin and bisphenol A occur in the μg L -1 range in streams near urban areas. While endocrine disruptors are frequently detected in surface waters, highest concentrations account for 17α-ethynylestradiol and 17β-estradiol. Organochlorine pesticides are the most frequently found and persistent in sediments in agricultural regions. Moreover, in tropical agricultural fields, pesticide volatilization and its implications to ecosystem protection must be better investigated. The reality represented here for Brazil may be transposed to other developing countries due to similarities related to primitive basic sanitation infrastructure and economic and social contexts, which contribute to continuous environmental contamination by CEC. Municipal wastewater treatment facilities in Brazil, treat up to the secondary stage and lead to limited CEC removal. This is also true for other nations in Latin America, such as Argentina, Colombia and Mexico. Therefore, it is an urgent priority to improve sanitation infrastructure and, then, the implementation of tertiary treatment shall be imposed. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Prevalence of Trypanosoma cruzi infection among Bolivian immigrants in the city of São Paulo, Brazil

PubMed Central

Luna, Expedito JA; Furucho, Celia R; Silva, Rubens A; Wanderley, Dalva M; Carvalho, Noemia B; Satolo, Camila G; Leite, Ruth M; Silveira, Cassio; Silva, Lia MB; Aith, Fernando M; Carneiro, Nivaldo; Shikanai-Yasuda, Maria A

2016-01-01

With the urbanisation of the population in developing countries and the process of globalisation, Chagas has become an emerging disease in the urban areas of endemic and non-endemic countries. In 2006, it was estimated that the prevalence of Chagas disease among the general Bolivian population was 6.8%. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of Trypanosoma cruzi infection among Bolivian immigrants living in São Paulo, Brazil. This study had a sample of 633 volunteers who were randomly selected from the clientele of primary care units located in the central districts of São Paulo, Brazil. Infection was detected by two different ELISA assays with epimastigote antigens, followed by an immunoblot with trypomastigote antigens as a confirmatory test. The prevalence of the infection was 4.4%. Risk factors independently associated with the infection were: a history of rural jobs in Bolivia, knowledge of the vector involved in transmission, and having relatives with Chagas disease. Brazil has successfully eliminated household vector transmission of T. cruzi, as well as its transmission by blood transfusion. The arrival of infected immigrants represents an additional challenge to primary care clinics to manage chronic Chagas disease, its vertical transmission, and the blood derivatives and organ transplant programs. PMID:27849221

Prevalence of Trypanosoma cruzi infection among Bolivian immigrants in the city of São Paulo, Brazil.

PubMed

Luna, Expedito Ja; Furucho, Celia R; Silva, Rubens A; Wanderley, Dalva M; Carvalho, Noemia B; Satolo, Camila G; Leite, Ruth M; Silveira, Cassio; Silva, Lia Mb; Aith, Fernando M; Carneiro, Nivaldo; Shikanai-Yasuda, Maria A

2017-01-01

With the urbanisation of the population in developing countries and the process of globalisation, Chagas has become an emerging disease in the urban areas of endemic and non-endemic countries. In 2006, it was estimated that the prevalence of Chagas disease among the general Bolivian population was 6.8%. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of Trypanosoma cruzi infection among Bolivian immigrants living in São Paulo, Brazil. This study had a sample of 633 volunteers who were randomly selected from the clientele of primary care units located in the central districts of São Paulo, Brazil. Infection was detected by two different ELISA assays with epimastigote antigens, followed by an immunoblot with trypomastigote antigens as a confirmatory test. The prevalence of the infection was 4.4%. Risk factors independently associated with the infection were: a history of rural jobs in Bolivia, knowledge of the vector involved in transmission, and having relatives with Chagas disease. Brazil has successfully eliminated household vector transmission of T. cruzi, as well as its transmission by blood transfusion. The arrival of infected immigrants represents an additional challenge to primary care clinics to manage chronic Chagas disease, its vertical transmission, and the blood derivatives and organ transplant programs.

Water-borne protozoa parasites: The Latin American perspective.

PubMed

Rosado-García, Félix Manuel; Guerrero-Flórez, Milena; Karanis, Gabriele; Hinojosa, María Del Carmen; Karanis, Panagiotis

2017-07-01

Health systems, sanitation and water access have certain limitations in nations of Latin America (LA): typical matters of developing countries. Water is often contaminated and therefore unhealthy for the consumers and users. Information on prevalence and detection of waterborne parasitic protozoa are limited or not available in LA. Only few reports have documented in this field during the last forty years and Brazil leads the list, including countries in South America and Mexico within Central America region and Caribbean islands. From 1979 to 2015, 16 outbreaks of waterborne-protozoa, were reported in Latin American countries. T. gondii and C. cayetanensis were the protozoa, which caused more outbreaks and Giardia spp. and Cryptosporidium spp. were the most frequently found protozoa in water samples. On the other hand, Latin America countries have not got a coherent methodology for detection of protozoa in water samples despite whole LA is highly vulnerable to extreme weather events related to waterborne-infections; although Brazil and Colombia have some implemented laws in their surveillance systems. It would be important to coordinate all surveillance systems in between all countries for early detection and measures against waterborne-protozoan and to establish effective and suitable diagnosis tools according to the country's economic strength and particular needs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Collection and recycling of electronic scrap: A worldwide overview and comparison with the Brazilian situation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Reis de Oliveira, Camila, E-mail: Camilareis.oliveira@hotmail.com; Moura Bernardes, Andrea, E-mail: amb@ufrgs.br; Gerbase, Annelise Engel, E-mail: agerbase@ufrgs.br

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Review of the different e-waste collection systems and recycling processes. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We present the e-waste collection systems used in Europe and in the US. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We present e-waste collection systems used in Asia and Latin America. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer E-waste management between developed and developing countries is very different. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We made a comparison of the world situation to the current Brazilian reality. - Abstract: Recycling and the related issue of sustainable development are increasing in importance around the world. In Brazil, the new National Policy on Solid Wastes has prompted discussion on the future of electronic waste (e-waste). Overmore » the last 10 years, different e-waste collection systems and recycling processes have been applied globally. This paper presents the systems used in different countries and compares the world situation to the current Brazilian reality. To establish a recycling process, it is necessary to organize efficient collection management. The main difficulty associated with the implementation of e-waste recycling processes in Brazil is the collection system, as its efficiency depends not only on the education and cooperation of the people but also on cooperation among industrial waste generators, distributors and the government. Over half a million waste pickers have been reported in Brazil and they are responsible for the success of metal scrap collection in the country. The country also has close to 2400 companies and cooperatives involved in recycling and scrap trading. On the other hand, the collection and recycling of e-waste is still incipient because e-wastes are not seen as valuable in the informal sector. The Brazilian challenge is therefore to organize a system of e-waste management including the informal sector without neglecting environmentally sound management principles.« less

[Brazil: agricultural modernisation and food production restructuring in the international crisis].

PubMed

Bertrand, J P

1985-01-01

This study examines the complex relationship of capital accumulation, external debt, and food supply in Brazil, a country which has simultaneously increased its food exports and its unsatisfied demand for food imports in the context of the world economic crisis. In Brazil, the substitution of export cash crops for subsistence crops has been accompanied by a profound but incomplete restructuring of the basic food supply and model of consumption, a restructuring made possible by declining real cost of the new foods. The gap between the extremely rapid evolution of consumption, especially in the urban areas, and the possibilities of concomitant transformation of production is the characteristic feature of the change occuring in Brazil. The current diet of the developed countries evolved over a relatively long period and was based on the declining real cost of basic foodstuffs made possible by increasing labor productivity. Between 1800-1900, the real cost of a kilo of bread was halved, while that of meat remained stable. In France and the US respectively, 80 and 90% of the principal cereals are consumed by animals, while in developing countries most grains are directly consumed. Numerous indices suggest that Brazil has begun to differentiate its food regime in the direction of decreased consumption of cereals, tubers, and legumes, and increased consumption of animal products, with grains increasingly consumed indirectly by animals. Since the early 1970s, Brazil has developed a powerful processed food industry which supports intensive breeding of poultry and, to a lesser extent, pork and milk cattle. However, low income population groups have been forced to reduce their consumption of traditional foodstuffs, whose real prices have undergone relative increases, without achieving a satisfactory level of consumption of the new products. Brazilian food problems result not from insufficient production of food but from the choice of a strongly internationalist model of development in the mid-1960s which required insertion into the world economy, notably through a search for new export sectors. The agricultural sector was assigned 3 functions: producing food as cheaply as possible, increasing the proportion of exportable crops, and substituting some of the foods imported. Brazil evolved in 2 decades from a classic agroexporter to a more complex structure reflecting the semiindustrialized state of the economy. The share of processed agricultural goods increased accordingly. The foods produced for the internal market have been changing at the same time that a new hierarchy of exportable products has evolved. Agricultural policy involved recourse to market mechanisms and cheap credit focused on the south and southeastern regions, large and medium sized producers, and a few products including soy, coffee, sugar cane, and cotton. Just 3% of credits went to the traditional foodstuffs beans and manioc. The most serious consequence of the internationalization of the agricultural economy has been a dangerous increase in the vulnerability of low income groups to world food price fluctuations.

Bridging the gap between science and public health: taking advantage of tobacco control experience in Brazil to inform policies to counter risk factors for non-communicable diseases.

PubMed

da Costa e Silva, Vera Luiza; Pantani, Daniela; Andreis, Mônica; Sparks, Robert; Pinsky, Ilana

2013-08-01

The historical and economic involvement of Brazil with tobacco, as a major producer and exporter, was considered an insurmountable obstacle to controlling the consumption of this product. Nevertheless, the country was able to achieve significant progress in implementing public policies and to take an international leadership position, meeting its constitutional commitment to protect public health. In this paper we provide a brief historical overview of tobacco control (TC) in Brazil, and analyse the factors that contributed to the major decline in tobacco consumption in the country over the last 20 years, as well as identify the challenges that had to be overcome and those still at play. The Brazilian case demonstrates how cross-sectorial collaborations among health-related groups that capitalize on their respective strengths and capacities can help to influence public policy and overcome industry and population resistance to change. Although Brazil still lags behind some leading TC nations, the country has an extensive collaborative TC network that was built over time and continues to focus upon this issue. The tobacco experience can serve as an example for other fields, such as alcoholic beverages, of how networks can be formed to influence the legislative process and the development of public policies. Brazilian statistics show that problems related to non-communicable diseases are a pressing public health issue, and advocacy groups, policy-makers and government departments can benefit from tobacco control history to fashion their own strategies. © 2013 Society for the Study of Addiction.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Price, L.K.; Phylipsen, G.J.M.; Worrell, E.

Iron and steel production consumes enormous quantities of energy, especially in developing countries where outdated, inefficient technologies are still used to produce iron and steel. Carbon dioxide emissions from steel production, which range between 5 and 15% of total country emissions in key developing countries (Brazil, China, India, Mexico, and South Africa), will continue to grow as these countries develop and as demand for steel products such as materials, automobiles, and appliances increases. In this report, we describe the key steel processes, discuss typical energy-intensity values for these processes, review historical trends in iron and steel production by process inmore » five key developing countries, describe the steel industry in each of the five key developing countries, present international comparisons of energy use and carbon dioxide emissions among these countries, and provide our assessment of the technical potential to reduce these emissions based on best-practice benchmarking. Using a best practice benchmark, we find that significant savings, in the range of 33% to 49% of total primary energy used to produce steel, are technically possible in these countries. Similarly, we find that the technical potential for reducing intensities of carbon dioxide emissions ranges between 26% and 49% of total carbon dioxide emissions from steel production in these countries.« less

PET Radiopharmaceuticals in Brazil and Belarus: Economic Comparison Using the Case of 18FDG.

PubMed

Brinkevich, Sviatoslav; Pires, Leonardo Paredes; Portilho, Filipe Leal; Santos-Oliveira, Ralph

2018-01-01

The production of radiopharmaceuticals, especially the PET ones, is a complex combination of economic and social factors. Despite the social aspects, that are essential, the economic issue must be considered and play an important parameter for the implementation and maintenance of producer centers around the world, with especial regards for countries which face economic crisis and/or belongs to aegis of under development countries. In order to evaluate this scenario with carried out this study, comparing a well-established producer center in Brazil and a new on in Belarus. The results showed that the producer center in Brazil face serious economic problems and all the production logistic must be re-done. On the other hand the new producer center in Belarus started following a new model of production and although it has not been profitable, the perspectives seem to be better than the Brazilian producer center. The Brazilian model for PET radiopharmaceutical productions should be revised in order to avoid waste and create a new perspective for the research area. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

The Einstein-Brazil Fogarty: A decade of synergy.

PubMed

Nosanchuk, Joshua D; Nosanchuk, Murphy D; Rodrigues, Marcio L; Nimrichter, Leonardo; Carvalho, Antonio C Campos de; Weiss, Louis M; Spray, David C; Tanowitz, Herbert B

2015-01-01

A rich, collaborative program funded by the US NIH Fogarty program in 2004 has provided for a decade of remarkable opportunities for scientific advancement through the training of Brazilian undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral students from the Federal University and Oswaldo Cruz Foundation systems at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. The focus of the program has been on the development of trainees in the broad field of Infectious Diseases, with a particular focus on diseases of importance to the Brazilian population. Talented trainees from various regions in Brazil came to Einstein to learn techniques and study fungal, parasitic and bacterial pathogens. In total, 43 trainees enthusiastically participated in the program. In addition to laboratory work, these students took a variety of courses at Einstein, presented their results at local, national and international meetings, and productively published their findings. This program has led to a remarkable synergy of scientific discovery for the participants during a time of rapid acceleration of the scientific growth in Brazil. This collaboration between Brazilian and US scientists has benefitted both countries and serves as a model for future training programs between these countries.

The Einstein-Brazil Fogarty: A decade of synergy

PubMed Central

Nosanchuk, Joshua D.; Nosanchuk, Murphy D.; Rodrigues, Marcio L.; Nimrichter, Leonardo; de Carvalho, Antonio C. Campos; Weiss, Louis M.; Spray, David C.; Tanowitz, Herbert B.

2015-01-01

Abstract A rich, collaborative program funded by the US NIH Fogarty program in 2004 has provided for a decade of remarkable opportunities for scientific advancement through the training of Brazilian undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral students from the Federal University and Oswaldo Cruz Foundation systems at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. The focus of the program has been on the development of trainees in the broad field of Infectious Diseases, with a particular focus on diseases of importance to the Brazilian population. Talented trainees from various regions in Brazil came to Einstein to learn techniques and study fungal, parasitic and bacterial pathogens. In total, 43 trainees enthusiastically participated in the program. In addition to laboratory work, these students took a variety of courses at Einstein, presented their results at local, national and international meetings, and productively published their findings. This program has led to a remarkable synergy of scientific discovery for the participants during a time of rapid acceleration of the scientific growth in Brazil. This collaboration between Brazilian and US scientists has benefitted both countries and serves as a model for future training programs between these countries. PMID:26691452

PP165. Treatment approaches for preeclampsia: A sample from a big city of a developing country.

PubMed

De Oliveira, L; Rocha, R M; Da Silva, L L; Rosas, C F; Korkes, H; Sass, N

2012-07-01

Preeclampsia is a major cause of maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide, mainly in developing countries. Here we show an example of how is the clinical condition of these patients when they are referred from first care units to a tertiary care teaching maternity in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. To evaluate how has been the approach for preeclamptic women in a big city of Brazil, an example of developing country. This is a retrospective study that evaluated 41 patients that were referred to our hospital from August 2010 to December 2011. In most of the cases patients were referred due to elevations in blood pressure. The diagnosis of preeclampsia was based on the ISSHP recommendations. The diagnosis of severe preeclampsia was based either on clinical symptoms and/or laboratory parameters. Fetal distress was defined when Doppler velocimetry assessment demonstrated abnormal parameters (centralization with abnormal diastolic blood flow at umbilical arteries). Severe preeclampsia was diagnosed in 26 cases (63.4%) and 34 patients were treated with magnesium sulfate (82.9%). One case of eclampsia (2.4%) and five cases of "Abruptio Placentae" (12.1%) were registered. Fetal distress was diagnosed at the moment of admission in 13 cases (31.7%) and two of these fetuses ended in stillbirth (4.8%). Neonatal death occurred in three cases (7.3%), mainly due to extreme preterm delivery. Other outcomes are reported in the following table. ICU: Intensive Care Unit. This is a good example of how has been the approach of preeclamptic women in a big city of Brazil. Our results suggest that a special concern about the moment of referring these patients to tertiary care units should be taken by doctors at first care units. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Impacts of Prolonged Peace on Brazilian Politics

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-12-01

state capacity in developing countries that lack external threats? Finding out the effects of regional peace on Brazilian contemporary politics is...rapid globalization via technologic developments , especially in the area of communication. From the liberal point of view, regional peace has the...regimes and their “national security state” ideologies with the primacy of social and economic development . Brazil joined the global and regional

Making stem cells count for global health.

PubMed

McMahon, Dominique S; Thorsteinsdóttir, Halla

2011-11-01

Developing countries such as China, India and Brazil are making large investments in the stem cell field. Here we argue that hands-on involvement in the field by these countries is essential if the products developed are going to be locally relevant, affordable and appropriate. However, stem cells are a high-risk investment and any global health impacts are still likely to be far off. Even if they are eventually successful, better clinical oversight and measures to ensure access are required for stem cells to have a substantial and equitable impact.

Violence deaths and its impact on life expectancy: a comparison between Mexico and Brazil.

PubMed

González-Pérez, Guillermo Julián; Vega-López, María Guadalupe; Souza, Edinilsa Ramos de; Pinto, Liana Wernersbach

2017-09-01

Using official data, this study analyzed violent deaths (homicide, suicide, events of undetermined intent and deaths due to legal intervention) in Brazil and Mexico in the three-year periods 2002-2004 and 2012-14, the impact of these causes of death on life expectancy in both countries and the role of the different age groups in years of life expectancy lost (YLEL). Abridged life tables were constructed for both countries for both periods. Temporary life expectancy and YLEL between zero and 80 years by selected causes and age groups were calculated for each triennium. The leading cause of YLEL among men was homicide in both periods in Brazil (1.5 years) and in the second period in Mexico (one year). Violent deaths (VD) accounted for around 16% of YLEL in Brazil and 13% in Mexico in 2012-2014. Among women, YLEL due to homicides and suicides showed the greatest relative increase in both countries, although VD accounted for barely 3% of total YLEL. The highest percentage of YLEL due to VDwas found among the 15 to 29 year age groups in both countries and for both sexes. The increase in rates of VD in Mexico, above all among young people, has curbed further increases in life expectancy in recent years, especially among men. Likewise, the high rates of VD in Brazil in both periods have hindered the growth of life expectancy.

Multi-state survey of healthcare-associated infections in acute care hospitals in Brazil.

PubMed

Fortaleza, C Magno Castelo Branco; Padoveze, M C; Kiffer, C R Veiga; Barth, A L; Carneiro, Irna C do Rosário Souza; Giamberardino, H I Garcia; Rodrigues, J L Nobre; Santos Filho, L; de Mello, M J Gonçalves; Pereira, M Severino; Gontijo Filho, P Pinto; Rocha, M; Servolo de Medeiros, E A; Pignatari, A C Campos

2017-06-01

Healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) challenge public health in developing countries such as Brazil, which harbour social inequalities and variations in the complexity of healthcare and regional development. To describe the prevalence of HCAIs in hospitals in a sample of hospitals in Brazil. A prevalence survey conducted in 2011-13 enrolled 152 hospitals from the five macro-regions in Brazil. Hospitals were classified as large (≥200 beds), medium (50-199 beds) or small sized (<50 beds). Settings were randomly selected from a governmental database, except for 11 reference university hospitals. All patients with >48 h of admission to the study hospitals at the time of the survey were included. Trained epidemiologist nurses visited each hospital and collected data on HCAIs, subjects' demographics, and invasive procedures. Univariate and multivariate techniques were used for data analysis. The overall HCAI prevalence was 10.8%. Most frequent infection sites were pneumonia (3.6%) and bloodstream infections (2.8%). Surgical site infections were found in 1.5% of the whole sample, but in 9.8% of subjects who underwent surgical procedures. The overall prevalence was greater for reference (12.6%) and large hospitals (13.5%), whereas medium- and small-sized hospitals presented rates of 7.7% and 5.5%, respectively. Only minor differences were noticed among hospitals from different macro-regions. Patients in intensive care units, using invasive devices or at extremes of age were at greater risk for HCAIs. Prevalence rates were high in all geographic regions and hospital sizes. HCAIs must be a priority in the public health agenda of developing countries. Copyright © 2017 The Healthcare Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Lymphatic filariasis in Brazil: epidemiological situation and outlook for elimination

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Since the World Health Assembly’s (Resolution WHA 50.29, 1997) call for the elimination of lymphatic filariasis by the year 2020, most of the endemic countries identified have established programmes to meet this objective. In 1997, a National Lymphatic Filariasis Elimination Plan was drawn up by the Ministry of Health of Brazil, creating local programs for the elimination of Bancroftian filariasis in areas with active transmission. Based on a comprehensive bibliographic search for available studies and reports of filariasis epidemiology in Brazil, current status of this parasitic infection and the outlook for its elimination in the country were analysed. From 1951 to 1958 a nationwide epidemiological study conducted in Brazil confirmed autochthonous transmission of Bancroftian filariasis in 11 cities of the country. Control measures led to a decline in parasite rates, and in the 1980s only the cities of Belém in the Amazonian region (Northern region) and Recife (Northeastern region) were considered to be endemic. In the 1990s, foci of active transmission of LF were also described in the cities of Maceió, Olinda, Jaboatão dos Guararapes, and Paulista, all in the Northeastern coast of Brazil. Data provide evidence for the absence of microfilaremic subjects and infected mosquitoes in Belém, Salvador and Maceió in the past few years, attesting to the effectiveness of the measures adopted in these cities. Currently, lymphatic filariasis is a public health problem in Brazil only in four cities of the metropolitan Recife region (Northeastern coast). Efforts are being concentrated in these areas, with a view to eliminating the disease in the country. PMID:23181663

Lymphatic filariasis in Brazil: epidemiological situation and outlook for elimination.

PubMed

Fontes, Gilberto; Leite, Anderson Brandão; de Lima, Ana Rachel Vasconcelos; Freitas, Helen; Ehrenberg, John Patrick; da Rocha, Eliana Maria Mauricio

2012-11-26

Since the World Health Assembly's (Resolution WHA 50.29, 1997) call for the elimination of lymphatic filariasis by the year 2020, most of the endemic countries identified have established programmes to meet this objective. In 1997, a National Lymphatic Filariasis Elimination Plan was drawn up by the Ministry of Health of Brazil, creating local programs for the elimination of Bancroftian filariasis in areas with active transmission. Based on a comprehensive bibliographic search for available studies and reports of filariasis epidemiology in Brazil, current status of this parasitic infection and the outlook for its elimination in the country were analysed. From 1951 to 1958 a nationwide epidemiological study conducted in Brazil confirmed autochthonous transmission of Bancroftian filariasis in 11 cities of the country. Control measures led to a decline in parasite rates, and in the 1980s only the cities of Belém in the Amazonian region (Northern region) and Recife (Northeastern region) were considered to be endemic. In the 1990s, foci of active transmission of LF were also described in the cities of Maceió, Olinda, Jaboatão dos Guararapes, and Paulista, all in the Northeastern coast of Brazil. Data provide evidence for the absence of microfilaremic subjects and infected mosquitoes in Belém, Salvador and Maceió in the past few years, attesting to the effectiveness of the measures adopted in these cities. Currently, lymphatic filariasis is a public health problem in Brazil only in four cities of the metropolitan Recife region (Northeastern coast). Efforts are being concentrated in these areas, with a view to eliminating the disease in the country.

Maritime security report number 1. January 1996 [piracy ; Colombia ; Brazil

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1996-01-01

The first article deals with piracy in Brazil. Because of the high incident rate of maritime piracy in Brazil, the Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO) has change reporting procedures for its ships and port agents in that country. In a r...

Paving pathways: Brazil's implementation of a national human papillomavirus immunization campaign.

PubMed

Baker, Misha L; Figueroa-Downing, Daniella; Chiang, Ellen Dias De Oliveira; Villa, Luisa; Baggio, Maria Luiza; Eluf-Neto, José; Bednarczyk, Robert A; Evans, Dabney P

2015-08-01

In 2014, Brazil introduced an HPV immunization program for girls 9-13 years of age as part of the Unified Health System's (SUS) National Immunization Program. The first doses were administered in March 2014; the second ones, in September 2014. In less than 3 months more than 3 million girls received the first dose of quadrivalent HPV vaccine, surpassing the target rate of 80%. This paper examines three elements that may influence the program's long-term success in Brazil: sustaining effective outreach, managing a large technology-transfer collaboration, and developing an electronic immunization registry, with a focus on the State of São Paulo. If these three factors are managed, the Government of Brazil is primed to serve as a model of success for other countries interested in implementing a national HPV vaccination program to decrease HPV-related morbidity and mortality.

Oil and gas developments in South Africa, Central America, Caribbean Area, and Mexico in 1984

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tappmeyer, D.M.

1985-10-01

For the 25 countries described in the region, exploration activity continued to be centered in proven petroleum provinces in 1984. Exploration activity increased in Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela. Important, successful exploration efforts continued in areas around Cano Limon field in Colombia, and Guafita and La Victoria fields in Venezuela. Notable discoveries in South America included the 42-46-1X San Martin Cretaceous discovery by Shell in the Ucayali basin in Peru, the significant oil and gas discovery at Palmar Largo ES-1 by YPF in Argentina, and the first offshore gas discovery, the Pecten 1-SPS-20 wildcat in the Santo basin in Brazil. Oilmore » production increased in Barbados, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela. A notable increase (40%) in oil production occurred in Brazil. Gas production increased in Argentina, Barbados, Colombia, Peru, and Trinidad and Tobago. 8 figures, 8 tables.« less

Oil and gas developments in South America, Central America, Caribbean Area, and Mexico in 1984

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tappmeyer, D.M.

1985-10-01

For the 25 countries described in the region, exploration activity continued to be centered in proven petroleum provinces in 1984. Exploration activity increased in Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela. Important, successful exploration efforts continued in areas around Cano Limon field in Colombia, and Guafita and La Victoria fields in Venezuela. Notable discoveries in South America included the 42-461X San Martin Cretaceous discovery by Shell in the Ucayali basin in Peru, the significant oil and gas discovery at Palmar Largo ES-1 by YPF in Argentina, and the first offshore gas discovery, the Pecten 1-SPS-20 wildcat in the Santo basin in Brazil. Oilmore » production increased in Barbados, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela. A notable increase (40%) in oil production occurred in Brazil. Gas production increased in Argentina, Barbados, Colombia, Peru, and Trinidad and Tobago.« less

General requirements to implement the personal dose equivalent Hp(10) in Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gomes Lopes, Amanda; Da Silva, Francisco Cesar Augusto

2018-03-01

To update the dosimetry quantity with the international community, Brazil is changing the Individual Dose (Hx) to the Personal Dose Equivalent Hp(10). A bibliographical survey on the technical and administrative requirements of nine countries that use Hp(10) was carried out to obtain the most relevant ones. All of them follow IEC and ISO guidelines for technical requirements, but administrative requirements change from country to country. Based on countries experiences, this paper presents a list of important general requirements to implement Hp(10) and to prepare the Brazilian requirements according to the international scientific community.

Translations on Telecommunications Policy, Research and Development No. 24.

DTIC Science & Technology

1977-12-19

state enterprises for connecting the microwave systems of Brazil and Argentina, with a view to facilitating transmissions televised from the Copa do... Mundo and expanding the permanent capacity of the communications services of the two countries exclusively by the Intelsat satellite. Correa de

Unsustainable development pathways caused by tropical deforestation.

PubMed

Carrasco, Luis Roman; Nghiem, Thi Phuong Le; Chen, Zhirong; Barbier, Edward B

2017-07-01

Global sustainability strategies require assessing whether countries' development trajectories are sustainable over time. However, sustainability assessments are limited because losses of natural capital and its ecosystem services through deforestation have not been comprehensively incorporated into national accounts. We update the national accounts of 80 nations that underwent tropical deforestation from 2000 to 2012 and evaluate their development trajectories using weak and strong sustainability criteria. Weak sustainability requires that countries do not decrease their aggregate capital over time. We adopt a strong sustainability criterion that countries do not decrease the value of their forest ecosystem services with respect to the year 2000. We identify several groups of countries: countries, such as Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and India, that present sustainable development trajectories under both weak and strong sustainability criteria; countries, such as Brazil, Peru, and Indonesia, that present weak sustainable development but fail the strong sustainability criterion as a result of rapid losses of ecosystem services; countries, such as Madagascar, Laos, and Papua New Guinea, that present unsustainable development pathways as a result of deforestation; and countries, such as Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone, in which deforestation aggravates already unsustainable pathways. Our results reveal a large number of countries where tropical deforestation is both damaging to nature and not compensated by development in other sectors, thus compromising the well-being of their future generations.

[The Citizen Constitution and the 25th anniversary of the Brazilian Unified National Health System (SUS)].

PubMed

Paim, Jairnilson Silva

2013-10-01

This article, celebrating the 25th anniversary of Brazil's 1988 Constitution, aims to review the country's social policy development, discuss political projects, and analyze challenges for the sustainability of the Unified National Health System (SUS). Based on public policymaking studies, the article revisits the origins of liberal social policy, focused on social assistance, and analyzes the hegemony of U.S. policies targeting poverty and their repercussions for universal policies. After identifying the formulation of political projects in Brazil's democratic transition, it discusses their implications during the various Administrations since 1988, along with the difficulties faced by the National Health System. The article concludes that the political forces occupying government in the last two decades have failed to present a project for the country on the same level as those who drafted the Citizen Constitution.

Challenges for malaria elimination in Brazil.

PubMed

Ferreira, Marcelo U; Castro, Marcia C

2016-05-20

Brazil currently contributes 42 % of all malaria cases reported in the Latin America and the Caribbean, a region where major progress towards malaria elimination has been achieved in recent years. In 2014, malaria burden in Brazil (143,910 microscopically confirmed cases and 41 malaria-related deaths) has reached its lowest levels in 35 years, Plasmodium falciparum is highly focal, and the geographic boundary of transmission has considerably shrunk. Transmission in Brazil remains entrenched in the Amazon Basin, which accounts for 99.5 % of the country's malaria burden. This paper reviews major lessons learned from past and current malaria control policies in Brazil. A comprehensive discussion of the scientific and logistic challenges that may impact malaria elimination efforts in the country is presented in light of the launching of the Plan for Elimination of Malaria in Brazil in November 2015. Challenges for malaria elimination addressed include the high prevalence of symptomless and submicroscopic infections, emerging anti-malarial drug resistance in P. falciparum and Plasmodium vivax and the lack of safe anti-relapse drugs, the largely neglected burden of malaria in pregnancy, the need for better vector control strategies where Anopheles mosquitoes present a highly variable biting behaviour, human movement, the need for effective surveillance and tools to identify foci of infection in areas with low transmission, and the effects of environmental changes and climatic variability in transmission. Control actions launched in Brazil and results to come are likely to influence control programs in other countries in the Americas.

When Does a Nation-Level Analysis Make Sense? ESD and Educational Governance in Brazil, South Africa, and the USA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feinstein, Noah Weeth; Jacobi, Pedro Roberto; Lotz-Sisitka, Heila

2013-01-01

International policy analysis tends to simplify the nation state, portraying countries as coherent units that can be described by one statistic or placed into one category. As scholars from Brazil, South Africa, and the USA, we find the nation-centric research perspective particularly challenging. In each of our home countries, the effective…

A Critical Analysis of the Brazilian Response to HIV/AIDS: Lessons Learned for Controlling and Mitigating the Epidemic in Developing Countries

PubMed Central

Berkman, Alan; Garcia, Jonathan; Muñoz-Laboy, Miguel; Paiva, Vera; Parker, Richard

2005-01-01

The Brazilian National AIDS Program is widely recognized as the leading example of an integrated HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment program in a developing country. We critically analyze the Brazilian experience, distinguishing those elements that are unique to Brazil from the programmatic and policy decisions that can aid the development of similar programs in other low- and middle-income and developing countries. Among the critical issues that are discussed are human rights and solidarity, the interface of politics and public health, sexuality and culture, the integration of prevention and treatment, the transition from an epidemic rooted among men who have sex with men to one that increasingly affects women, and special prevention and treatment programs for injection drug users. PMID:15933232

[Tax expenses and their impacts on performance in health and education].

PubMed

Paes, Nelson Leitão

2014-04-01

The increase in tax expenditures is a trend observed in many countries. In Brazil, the increase in tax expenditures was marked, with an increase of 47% between 2006 and 2011. Based on data from Latin American countries and the OECD, this paper investigates whether countries with high tax expenditures in relation to budget expenditures perform better in the areas of health and education. The results show that the group of Latin American countries spends much more via taxation than the OECD countries, with Brazil showing a relatively low relationship between tax expenditures and total expenditures for health and education. In relation to social indicators, this article suggests that countries that use tax expenditures more intensively have systematically worse social indicators in education and health.

The assessment of the readiness of five countries to implement child maltreatment prevention programs on a large scale.

PubMed

Mikton, Christopher; Power, Mick; Raleva, Marija; Makoae, Mokhantso; Al Eissa, Majid; Cheah, Irene; Cardia, Nancy; Choo, Claire; Almuneef, Maha

2013-12-01

This study aimed to systematically assess the readiness of five countries - Brazil, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa - to implement evidence-based child maltreatment prevention programs on a large scale. To this end, it applied a recently developed method called Readiness Assessment for the Prevention of Child Maltreatment based on two parallel 100-item instruments. The first measures the knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs concerning child maltreatment prevention of key informants; the second, completed by child maltreatment prevention experts using all available data in the country, produces a more objective assessment readiness. The instruments cover all of the main aspects of readiness including, for instance, availability of scientific data on the problem, legislation and policies, will to address the problem, and material resources. Key informant scores ranged from 31.2 (Brazil) to 45.8/100 (the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) and expert scores, from 35.2 (Brazil) to 56/100 (Malaysia). Major gaps identified in almost all countries included a lack of professionals with the skills, knowledge, and expertise to implement evidence-based child maltreatment programs and of institutions to train them; inadequate funding, infrastructure, and equipment; extreme rarity of outcome evaluations of prevention programs; and lack of national prevalence surveys of child maltreatment. In sum, the five countries are in a low to moderate state of readiness to implement evidence-based child maltreatment prevention programs on a large scale. Such an assessment of readiness - the first of its kind - allows gaps to be identified and then addressed to increase the likelihood of program success. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Drinking Water Quality Governance: A Comparative Case Study of Brazil, Ecuador, and Malawi

PubMed Central

Kayser, Georgia L.; Amjad, Urooj; Dalcanale, Fernanda; Bartram, Jamie; Bentley, Margaret E.

2015-01-01

Human health is greatly affected by inadequate access to sufficient and safe drinking water, especially in low and middle-income countries. Drinking water governance improvements may be one way to better drinking water quality. Over the past decade, many projects and international organizations have been dedicated to water governance; however, water governance in the drinking water sector is understudied and how to improve water governance remains unclear. We analyze drinking water governance challenges in three countries—Brazil, Ecuador, and Malawi—as perceived by government, service providers, and civil society organizations. A mixed methods approach was used: a clustering model was used for country selection and qualitative semi-structured interviews were used with direct observation in data collection. The clustering model integrated political, economic, social and environmental variables that impact water sector performance, to group countries. Brazil, Ecuador and Malawi were selected with the model so as to enhance the generalizability of the results. This comparative case study is important because similar challenges are identified in the drinking water sectors of each country; while, the countries represent diverse socio-economic and political contexts, and the selection process provides generalizability to our results. We find that access to safe water could be improved if certain water governance challenges were addressed: coordination and data sharing between ministries that deal with drinking water services; monitoring and enforcement of water quality laws; and sufficient technical capacity to improve administrative and technical management of water services at the local level. From an analysis of our field research, we also developed a conceptual framework that identifies policy levers that could be used to influence governance of drinking water quality on national and sub-national levels, and the relationships between these levers. PMID:25798068

Comparing Anesthesiology Residency Training Structure and Requirements in Seven Different Countries on Three Continents.

PubMed

Yamamoto, Satoshi; Tanaka, Pedro; Madsen, Matias V; Macario, Alex

2017-02-26

Little has been published comparing the graduate medical education training structure and requirements across multiple countries. The goal of this study was to summarize and compare the characteristics of anesthesiology training programs in the USA, UK, Canada, Japan, Brazil, Denmark, and Switzerland as a way to better understand efforts to train anesthesiologists in different countries. Two physicians trained in each of the seven countries (convenience sample) were interviewed using a semi-structured approach. The interview was facilitated by use of a predetermined questionnaire that included, for example, the duration of post-medical school training and national requirements for certain rotations, a number of cases, faculty supervision, national in-training written exams, and duty hour limits. These data were augmented by review of each country's publicly available residency training documents as available on the internet. Post-medical school anesthesia residency duration varied: three years (Brazil), four years (USA), five years (Canada and Switzerland), six years (Japan and Denmark) to nine years (UK), as did the number of explicitly required clinical rotations of a defined duration: zero (Denmark), one (Switzerland and UK), four (Brazil), six (Canada), and 12 (USA). Minimum case requirements exist in the USA, Japan, and Brazil, but not in the other countries. National written exams taken during training exist for all countries studied except Japan and Denmark. The countries studied increasingly aim to have competency-based education with milestone assessments. Training duty hour limits also varied including for example 37 hours/week averaged over a one month with limitations on night duties (Denmark), a weekly average of 48 hours taken over a 17 week period (UK), 50 hours/week maximum (Switzerland), 60 hours/week maximum (Brazil), and 80 hours/week averaged over four weeks (USA). Some countries have highly structured training programs with multiple national requirements with training principally carried out at a home institution. Other countries have a more decentralized and unregulated approach with fewer (if any) specific case or rotation requirements, where the trainee creates his/her own customized training to meet broad objectives and goals. The countries studied have different national training requirements, unique duty hour rules and are at varying stages in transitioning to an outcome based model of residency.

[Effects of the PROALCOOL program on migratory behavior in the state of Sao Paulo: the case of Ribeirao Preto].

PubMed

1983-01-01

The National Program of Alcohol, PROALCOOL, started in November 1975, was created in response to the 1st petroleum crisis. Petroleum prices elevated suddenly between 1973 and 1974, and the cost of importing fuel increased extraordinarily. The PROALCOOL program was still in the early stages of development at the end of the decade when the 2nd petroleum crisis worsened the Brazilian energy situation even further. PROALCOOL had its institutional base strengthened in 1979, and new objectives and more ambitious goals were outlined for the program. A production goal of 10.7 billion liters of alcohol was set for 1985 which would essentially cover the predicted increase in consumption of gasoline for the country. The goal was equivalent, in energy terms, to making Brazil self-sufficient. The automobile industry in Brazil had been intensively developing in the 1970s, turning itself into a fundamental sector in the general process of Brazil's economic development. The distribution of goods in the country is intimately linked to highway transportation; the percentage of products transported by rail and shipping is relatively small. Urban transport is also still based on the automobile for individual transportation and the bus for mass transit. The industrial structure of Brazil was developed with an elevated dependence on gasoline, and until the 2nd crisis few had made any alterations in this picture. Although the primary cause for the development of PROALCOOL was the sharp increase in petroleum prices, another impetus was the collapse of sugar prices on the world market in November 1974. With the creation of PROALCOOL, sugar was transformed from sugar into alcohol, strengthening the options for its use. Response to the stimulus of the program came primarily from the sugar producers, who undertook rapid construction of "annex" distilleries to use the sugar. It was PROALCOOL's response to economic conditions that imparted new life into the sugar agroindustry in the State of Sao Paulo, particularly in the region of Ribeiros Preto.

Global patterns of workplace productivity for people with depression: absenteeism and presenteeism costs across eight diverse countries.

PubMed

Evans-Lacko, S; Knapp, M

2016-11-01

Depression is a leading cause of disability worldwide. Research suggests that by far, the greatest contributor to the overall economic impact of depression is loss in productivity; however, there is very little research on the costs of depression outside of Western high-income countries. Thus, this study examines the impact of depression on workplace productivity across eight diverse countries. We estimated the extent and costs of depression-related absenteeism and presenteeism in the workplace across eight countries: Brazil, Canada, China, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, South Africa, and the USA. We also examined the individual, workplace, and societal factors associated with lower productivity. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the impact of depression on workplace productivity across a diverse set of countries, in terms of both culture and GDP. Mean annual per person costs for absenteeism were lowest in South Korea at $181 and highest in Japan ($2674). Mean presenteeism costs per person were highest in the USA ($5524) and Brazil ($5788). Costs associated with presenteeism tended to be 5-10 times higher than those associated with absenteeism. These findings suggest that the impact of depression in the workplace is considerable across all countries, both in absolute monetary terms and in relation to proportion of country GDP. Overall, depression is an issue deserving much greater attention, regardless of a country's economic development, national income or culture.

Relative health performance in BRICS over the past 20 years: the winners and losers

PubMed Central

Petrie, Dennis

2014-01-01

Abstract Objective To determine whether the health performance of Brazil, the Russian Federation, India, China and South Africa – the countries known as BRICS – has kept in step with their economic development. Methods Reductions in age- and sex-specific mortality seen in each BRICS country between 1990 and 2011 were measured. These results were compared with those of the best-performing countries in the world and the best-performing countries with similar income levels. We estimated each country’s progress in reducing mortality and compared changes in that country’s mortality rates against other countries with similar mean incomes to examine changes in avoidable mortality. Findings The relative health performance of the five study countries differed markedly over the study period. Brazil demonstrated fairly even improvement in relative health performance across the different age and sex subgroups that we assessed. India’s improvement was more modest and more varied across the subgroups. South Africa and the Russian Federation exhibited large declines in health performance as well as large sex-specific inequalities in health. Although China’s levels of avoidable mortality decreased in absolute terms, the level of improvement appeared low in the context of China’s economic growth. Conclusion When evaluating a country’s health performance in terms of avoidable mortality, it is useful to compare that performance against the performance of other countries. Such comparison allows any country-specific improvements to be distinguished from general global improvements. PMID:24940013

Genetic analysis of Holstein cattle populations in Brazil and the United States.

PubMed

Costa, C N; Blake, R W; Pollak, E J; Oltenacu, P A; Quaas, R L; Searle, S R

2000-12-01

Genetic relationships between Brazilian and US Holstein cattle populations were studied using first-lactation records of 305-d mature equivalent (ME) yields of milk and fat of daughters of 705 sires in Brazil and 701 sires in the United States, 358 of which had progeny in both countries. Components of(co)variance and genetic parameters were estimated from all data and from within herd-year standard deviation for milk (HYSD) data files using bivariate and multivariate sire models and DFREML procedures distinguishing the two countries. Sire (residual) variances from all data for milk yield were 51 to 59% (58 to 101%) as large in Brazil as those obtained from half-sisters in the average US herd. Corresponding proportions of the US variance in fat yield that were found in Brazil were 30 to 41% for the sire component of variance and 48 to 80% for the residual. Heritabilities for milk and fat yields from multivariate analysis of all the data were 0.25 and 0.22 in Brazil, and 0.34 and 0.35 in the United States. Genetic correlations between milk and fat were 0.79 in Brazil and 0.62 in the United States. Genetic correlations between countries were 0.85 for milk, 0.88 for fat, 0.55 for milk in Brazil and fat in the US, and 0.67 for fat in Brazil and milk in the United States. Correlated responses in Brazil from sire selection based on the US information increased with average HYSD in Brazil. Largest daughter yield response was predicted from information from half-sisters in low HYSD US herds (0.75 kg/kg for milk; 0.63 kg/kg for fat), which was 14% to 17% greater than estimates from all US herds because the scaling effects were less severe from heterogeneous variances. Unequal daughter response from unequal genetic (co)variances under restrictive Brazilian conditions is evidence for the interaction of genotype and environment. The smaller and variable yield expectations of daughters of US sires in Brazilian environments suggest the need for specific genetic improvement strategies in Brazilian Holstein herds. A US data file restricting daughter information to low HYSD US environments would be a wise choice for across-country evaluation. Procedures to incorporate such foreign evaluations should be explored to improve the accuracy of genetic evaluations for the Brazilian Holstein population.

Brazil Country Analysis Brief

EIA Publications

2015-01-01

In 2014, Brazil was the eighth-largest energy consumer in the world and the third-largest in the Americas, behind the United States and Canada, according to BP statistics. Total primary energy consumption in Brazil has nearly doubled in the past decade1 because of sustained economic growth. The largest share of Brazil's total energy consumption is oil and other liquid fuels, followed by hydroelectricity and natural gas

Body size and obesity patterns in Caboclo populations from Pará, Amazonia, Brazil.

PubMed

Silva, Hilton; Padez, Cristina

2010-04-01

In many developing countries overweight, obesity and obesity-related morbidity are becoming a problem of increasing public health importance. The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in body size and body composition with age in adults of the Caboclo populations from the Brazilian Amazon as well as to examine the prevalence of overweight and obesity in adults aged 20-75 years, taking into account recent trends for the whole country. Caboclo are genetically and culturally admixed rural peasant groups that live along the Amazon River and its tributaries in Brazil, and there are few previous studies of their health and lifestyle. A total of 304 subjects (149 males and 155 females) from two socioecologically different areas were studied. Height, weight and skinfolds (tricipital, subscapular and suprailiac) were measured; international intervals (WHO) for overweight and obesity were used. Women showed significantly lower values than men for height, weight, upper arm circumference and fat-free mass and higher values for triceps, subscapular and suprailiac skinfolds and body fat (%). In the overall sample combined overweight and obesity was 47.8% in men and 50.8% in women. When compared to recent values published for the Northern region and for the whole of Brazil, 20.5% of Caboclo women aged 20-75 years were obese, which is higher than all other populations, including other rural samples. Caboclo men showed the highest rates of obesity (9.1%) and overweight (39.1%) of any rural population from the country, including Northern Brazil. The results suggest an effect of increased Western lifestyle influence on the body composition of these Caboclo populations. Considering that these are rural populations with limited access to education and health care, the high prevalence of overweight and obesity associated with low socio-economic status makes them a vulnerable group that deserves a higher level of attention by the country's public health authorities.

Collection and recycling of electronic scrap: a worldwide overview and comparison with the Brazilian situation.

PubMed

de Oliveira, Camila Reis; Bernardes, Andréa Moura; Gerbase, Annelise Engel

2012-08-01

Recycling and the related issue of sustainable development are increasing in importance around the world. In Brazil, the new National Policy on Solid Wastes has prompted discussion on the future of electronic waste (e-waste). Over the last 10 years, different e-waste collection systems and recycling processes have been applied globally. This paper presents the systems used in different countries and compares the world situation to the current Brazilian reality. To establish a recycling process, it is necessary to organize efficient collection management. The main difficulty associated with the implementation of e-waste recycling processes in Brazil is the collection system, as its efficiency depends not only on the education and cooperation of the people but also on cooperation among industrial waste generators, distributors and the government. Over half a million waste pickers have been reported in Brazil and they are responsible for the success of metal scrap collection in the country. The country also has close to 2400 companies and cooperatives involved in recycling and scrap trading. On the other hand, the collection and recycling of e-waste is still incipient because e-wastes are not seen as valuable in the informal sector. The Brazilian challenge is therefore to organize a system of e-waste management including the informal sector without neglecting environmentally sound management principles. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Strategies of the Brazilian chronic kidney disease prevention campaign (2003-2009).

PubMed

Mastroianni-Kirsztajn, Gianna; Bastos, Marcus G; Burdmann, Emmanuel A

2011-01-01

In Brazil, as in the rest of the world, the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is increasing. In order to alert the population, health professionals and authorities to this risk, in 2003, the Brazilian Society of Nephrology launched a CKD prevention campaign called 'Previna-se'. In addition, since its onset, Brazil has participated in the World Kidney Day efforts and has developed several prevention strategies. Here, we summarize the main strategies adopted in this campaign (population screening, events and meetings, distribution of educational materials, routine report of estimated glomerular filtration rate) and our initial results, sharing practical experience that could be useful in other developing countries. Copyright © 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Fifteen years of occupational and environmental health projects support in Brazil, Chile, and Mexico: a report from Mount Sinai School of Medicine ITREOH program, 1995-2010.

PubMed

Peres, Frederico; Claudio, Luz

2013-01-01

The Fogarty International Center of the National Institutes of Health created the International Training and Research Program in Occupational and Environmental Health (ITREOH program) in 1995 with the aim to train environmental and occupational health scientists in developing countries. Mount Sinai School of Medicine was a grantee of this program since its inception, partnering with research institutions in Brazil, Chile, and Mexico. This article evaluates Mount Sinai's program in order to determine whether it has contributed to the specific research capacity needs of the international partners. Information was obtained from: (a) international and regional scientific literature databases; (b) databases from the three participating countries; and (c) MSSM ITREOH Program Database. Most of the research projects supported by the program were consistent with the themes found to be top priorities for the partner countries based on mortality/morbidity and research themes in the literature. Indirect effects of the training and the subsequent research projects completed by the trained fellows in the program included health policy changes and development of collaborative international projects. International research training programs, such as the MSSM ITREOH, that strengthen scientific research capacity in occupational and environmental health in Latin America can make a significant impact on the most pressing health issues in the partner countries. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Insurgents to Presidents: Contemporary Civil-Military Relations In Brazil, El Salvador, and Uruguay

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-03-01

executives. In fact, civil–military relations under ex -insurgent presidents have been improved over the last decade in each country. Ultimately, this thesis...fact, civil–military relations under ex -insurgent presidents have been improved over the last decade in each country. Ultimately, this thesis... ex -insurgent presidents and the expansion of military roles and missions. This comparative analysis of Brazil, El

[Fertility transition in Brazil. Causes and consequences].

PubMed

Carvalho, J A; Wong, L R

1992-12-01

This work examines the determinants and most important consequences of the Brazilian fertility decline. Brazil's total fertility rate declined from 6.2 in 1940 to around 3.5 in 1985. the decline began in the 1960s and amounted to 45% in about 20 years. The most rapid drop began in the late 1970s, with much of it concentrated in 2 specific periods: 1970-75 and 1980-85. The early period coincided with Brazil's so-called "Economic Miracle", a period of rapid growth accompanied however by deteriorating living conditions for the poorest population sectors. The second period coincided with the international economic crisis of the early 1980s, which was felt more strongly in Brazil than elsewhere in Latin America because of Brazil's greater degree of industrialization and closer integration into the world economy. Most of the fertility decline has been accomplished by use of just two contraceptive methods, oral contraceptives and sterilization, which together account for around 85% of contraceptive usage throughout Brazil. The third most common method, rhythm, accounts for just 6%. No reliable data on abortion are available, but it appears to be a common practice equally accessible to all socioeconomic strata despite greater associated health risks for poorer women. Brazil's fertility transition appears to have been a response to the process of proletarianization and urbanization underway in the country as well as to particular circumstances in the country. The most evident and immediate consequence of the continuous fertility decline over more than 20 years is the change in the age structure of the population. The proportions of children under 5 will decline from 14.4% in 1980 to 9.2% in 2010. The proportion aged 5-14 will decline from 24.5% to 17.4%, while the proportion aged 65 and over will increase from 4.0% to 5.6%. Brazil's recent demographic changes are scarcely reflected in development plans and political and social projects. There is almost no mention of the new demographic dynamics which entail new problems to be faced, but also new and more favorable conditions for overcoming some old problems. Most planners retain a conception of Brazil's population as very young, rapidly growing, and with a constant age distribution. Some promising areas for social investment are health, nutrition, and preschool education for small children; improvement and expansion of the public educational system; and improvement in the quality of the labor force. The growing elderly population will require health services, pensions, and alternative living arrangements for the increased proportion without close relatives. A regional development strategy should be developed to assure that conditions do not deteriorate in any region as demographic changes progress.

Epidemiology of vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency in a population in a sunny country: Geospatial meta-analysis in Brazil.

PubMed

Pereira-Santos, Marcos; Santos, José Yure Gomes Dos; Carvalho, Gisele Queiroz; Santos, Djanilson Barbosa Dos; Oliveira, Ana Marlúcia

2018-02-08

Studies conducted among populations of tropical countries have reported high prevalences of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency. Information resulting from meta-analyses on the spatial distribution of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency in tropical countries is still rare. The aim of this review was investigated the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency among the Brazilian population. Observational studies were searched in eight electronically databases. Additionally, theses and dissertations and abstracts were screened. Details on study design, methods, population, mean and data on serum concentrations of vitamin D in different age groups in Brazil were extracted. Data were pooled using a random-effects model and choropleth maps were created based on the geopolitical regions of the country. 72 published paper met the inclusion criteria. The mean vitamin D concentration among the Brazilian population between 2000 and 2017 of 67.65 nmol/L (95% CI: 65.91, 69.38 nmol/L).The prevalences of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency were 28.16% (95% CI: 23.90, 32.40) and 45.26% (95% CI: 35.82, 54.71), respectively, for the Brazilian population. The highest prevalence of deficiency were observed in the southern and southeastern regions and the highest occurrence of vitamin D insufficiency was among the populations of the southeastern and northeastern regions. Finally, there are high prevalence of inadequate vitamin D concentrations among the population, regardless of age group in Brazil. The development of vitamin D food fortification policies in needs to be cautious and carefully planned.

Inpatient care of the elderly in Brazil and India: Assessing social inequalities

PubMed Central

Channon, Andrew Amos; Andrade, Monica Viegas; Noronha, Kenya; Leone, Tiziana; Dilip, T.R.

2012-01-01

The rapidly growing older adult populations in Brazil and India present major challenges for health systems in these countries, especially with regard to the equitable provision of inpatient care. The objective of this study was to contrast inequalities in both the receipt of inpatient care and the length of time that care was received among adults aged over 60 in two large countries with different modes of health service delivery. Using the Brazilian National Household Survey from 2003 and the Indian National Sample Survey Organisation survey from 2004 inequalities by wealth (measured by income in Brazil and consumption in India) were assessed using concentration curves and indices. Inequalities were also examined through the use of zero-truncated negative binomial models, studying differences in receipt of care and length of stay by region, health insurance, education and reported health status. Results indicated that there was no evidence of inequality in Brazil for both receipt and length of stay by income per capita. However, in India there was a pro-rich bias in the receipt of care, although once care was received there was no difference by consumption per capita for the length of stay. In both countries the higher educated and those with health insurance were more likely to receive care, while the higher educated had longer stays in hospital in Brazil. The health system reforms that have been undertaken in Brazil could be credited as a driver for reducing healthcare inequalities amongst the elderly, while the significant differences by wealth in India shows that reform is still needed to ensure the poor have access to inpatient care. Health reforms that move towards a more public funding model of service delivery in India may reduce inequality in elderly inpatient care in the country. PMID:23041128

Investigating environmental determinants of diet, physical activity, and overweight among adults in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

PubMed

Jaime, Patricia Constante; Duran, Ana Clara; Sarti, Flávia Mori; Lock, Karen

2011-06-01

There is worldwide recognition that the burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and obesity-related health problems is rapidly increasing in low- and middle-income countries. Environmental determinants of obesity are likely to differ between countries, particularly in those undergoing rapid socioeconomic and nutrition transitions such as Brazil. This study aims to describe some built environment and local food environment variables and to explore their association with the overweight rate and diet and physical activity area-level aggregated indicators of adults living in the city of Sao Paulo, the largest city in Brazil. This formative study includes an ecological analysis of environmental factors associated with overweight across 31 submunicipalities of the city of Sao Paulo using statistical and spatial analyses. Average prevalence of overweight was 41.69% (95% confidence interval 38.74, 44.64), ranging from 27.14% to 60.75% across the submunicipalities. There was a wide geographical variation of both individual diet and physical activity, and indicators of food and built environments, favoring wealthier areas. After controlling for area socioeconomic status, there was a positive correlation between regular fruits and vegetables (FV) intake and density of FV specialized food markets (r = 0.497; p < 0.001), but no relationship between fast-food restaurant density and overweight prevalence was found. A negative association between overweight prevalence and density of parks and public sport facilities was seen (r = -0.527; p < 0.05). Understanding the relationship between local neighborhood environments and increasing rates of poor diet, physical activity, and obesity is essential in countries undergoing rapid economic and urban development, such as Brazil, in order to provide insights for policies to reduce increasing rates of NCDs and food access and health inequalities.

Smoking and Adverse Maternal and Child Health Outcomes in Brazil

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Introduction: Numerous studies from high-income countries document the causal relationship between cigarette smoking during pregnancy and adverse maternal and child health (MCH) outcomes. Less research has been conducted in low and middle income countries, but a burgeoning literature can be found for Brazil. Methods: We review Brazilian studies of the prevalence of maternal smoking, the relative risk of smoking-attributable adverse MCH outcomes, and present new estimates for these outcomes, using the attributable fraction method. Results: We found that Brazilian studies of the relative risks of smoking-attributable adverse MCH outcomes were broadly consistent with previous reviews. Based on a comparison of maternal smoking over time, smoking during pregnancy has declined by about 50% over the last 20 years in Brazil. For 2008, we estimate that 5,352 cases of spontaneous abortion, 10,929 cases of preterm birth, 20,717 cases of low birth weight, and 29 cases of sudden infant death syndrome are attributable to maternal smoking. Between 1989 and 2008, the percent of smoking-attributable adverse MCH outcomes in Brazil was at least halved. Conclusions: The results show that over a 20-year period, during which Brazil implemented numerous effective tobacco control measures, the country experienced a dramatic decrease in both maternal smoking prevalence and smoking-attributable adverse MCH outcomes. Countries that implement effective tobacco control measures can expect to reduce both maternal smoking and adverse MCH outcomes, thereby improving the public health. PMID:23873977

Energy from wood biomass: The experience of the Brazilian forest sector

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Couto, L.; Graca, L.R.; Betters, D.R.

Wood biomass is one of the most significant renewable sources of energy in Brazil. Fuelwood and charcoal play a very important role not only for household energy consumption but also for the cement, iron and steel industries. Wood is used as an energy source by the pulp and paper, composite board and other industries of the country, mainly for steam and electricity generation. Ethanol, lignin-based coke and methanol from wood were produced at experimental units in Brazil but were not implemented on a commercial scale. Currently, a new experimental plant using a technology developed in the US is being builtmore » in the state of Bahia to generate electricity from Eucalyptus. This technology is a Biomass Integrated Gasification/Gas Turbine process which is expected to make the use of wood biomass economically feasible for electricity generation. Forest plantations are the main source of wood biomass for energy consumption by the Brazilian industrial sector. Fiscal incentives in the 1960s helped the country to begin a massive reforestation program mainly using Eucalyptus and Pinus species. A native species, bracatinga (Mimosa scabrella) has also been used extensively for wood energy plantations in southern Brazil. Technical, economic, social and environmental impacts of these plantation forests are discussed along with a forecast of the future wood energy utilization in Brazil.« less

Repatriation Data: More than two million species occurrence records added to the Brazilian Biodiversity Information Facility Repository (SiBBr)

PubMed Central

Dias, David; Baringo Fonseca, Clara; Correa, Luiza; Soto, Nayara; Portela, Andrea; Juarez, Keila; Tumolo Neto, Roque João; Ferro, Murilo; Gonçalves, João; Junior, Jurandir

2017-01-01

Abstract Background Primary biodiversity data records, available on-line, are essential for conservation planning. Of the mega diversity countries, Brazil have reached a high level of scientific research in describing their biodiversity. However, there still remain significant limitations in recovering, collating and organizing available information on Brazil's biological diversity and its distribution. Since the colonial period, biological material were often collected and transferred to other countries, which were characterized, stored and maintained. As a result, natural history museums worldwide possess large amounts of primary biodiversity data originally from Brazil which are then published on-line in the international Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) infrastructure. Aiming to recover these data, the Brazilian Biodiversity Information System (SiBBr) developed an automatic repatriation tool capable of retrieving all records registered in Brazil but published outside Brazilian territory in an automated manner. New information Thus, 2,459,366 records were added to SiBBr’s Repository in one day. Europe and the United States hold about 80% of all records. The data set covers all life kingdoms. Animalia is the most represented group with 3 main phylum's: Chordata, Arthropoda and Mollusca, within more than 40% of all records. Plantae also comprises a large portion of the records with angiosperms having the major number of entries. PMID:28765723

[Environmental health and inequalities: building indicators for sustainable development].

PubMed

Carneiro, Fernando Ferreira; Franco Netto, Guilherme; Corvalan, Carlos; de Freitas, Carlos Machado; Sales, Luiz Belino Ferreira

2012-06-01

Despite its progress in terms of socio-economic indicators, Brazil is still unequal, which is due to an unequal and exclusionary historical process. In this paper we selected the Human Development Index - HDI and other social, economic, environmental and health indicators to exemplify this situation. We selected the municipalities that had the lowest HDI in the country in 2000 comparing their evolution over time between 2000 and 2010 by means of indicators linked to the economic, environmental and social pillars of sustainable development. These municipalities have an HDI classified as low (<0.500), and correspond to countries such as Laos, Yemen, Haiti and Madagascar. At national level, data for the decade show a significant improvement in economic indicators (decrease from 23% to 8.9% of people living on less than a quarter of the minimum wage); social indicators (increase from 86.5% to 90.2% of literacy in women), and the environmental indicator associated with access to the water grid, which also improved to a lesser extent (increase from 81% to 85%). It was concluded that in order to achieve sustainable development with quality of life, the improvement of sanitation and education indicators should be a priority for Brazil.

Clonal propagation of eucalyptus in Brazilian nurseries

Treesearch

Ken McNabb; Natal Goncalves; Jose Goncalves

2002-01-01

Brazil has established extensive Eucalyptus plantations to support a growing forest products industry. During the past 25 years, the country has been a pioneer in developing clonal propagation systems to regenerate these highly productive plantations. Original clonal selections optimized disease resistance, coppicing ability, and volume growth, while recent priorities...

Health and Schooling: Evidence and Policy Implications for Developing Countries.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gomes-Neto, Joao Batista; And Others

1997-01-01

Exploits a unique data set (EDRURAL) from three northeastern states of Brazil to investigate the complementarities of health with school attainment and cognitive achievement. The promotion models and value-added achievement models demonstrate the value of students' visual acuity. Achievement models highlight the role of good nutrition. Eye…

Integrated Schooling, Life Course Outcomes, and Social Cohesion in Multiethnic Democratic Societies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mickelson, Roslyn Arlin; Nkomo, Mokubung

2012-01-01

Schools have a seminal role in preparing a society's children for their adult responsibilities as workers, parents, friends, neighbors, and citizens. The United States, countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Brazil, India, South Africa, and other multiethnic democratic nation-states have increasingly diverse…

Genomics-based marker discovery and diagnostic assay development for wheat blast

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Wheat blast has emerged as a major threat to wheat production in South America. While originally restricted to Brazil the disease has since been observed in the neighboring countries of Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay and there is growing concern that the pathogen, Magnaporthe oryzae Triticum patho...

Federalism and decentralization: impact on international and Brazilian health policies.

PubMed

Leite, Valéria Rodrigues; de Vasconcelos, Cipriano Maia; Lima, Kenio Costa

2011-01-01

This article discusses the implications of decentralization in the light of international and Brazilian federalism, and its effects on public health policy. In a comparative analysis among countries, the authors find there is no single model; rather, each country has a unique structure of institutions and norms that have important implications for the operation of its health system. Brazil shares some similarities with other countries that have adopted a decentralized system and is assuming features ever closer to U.S. federalism, with a complex web of relationships. The degree of inequality among Brazilian municipalities and states, along with the budgetary imbalances caused by the minimal levels of resource utilization, undermines Brazil's constitutional principles and, consequently, its federalism. To ensure the constitutional mandate in Brazil, it is essential, as in other countries, to create a stable source of funds and increase the volume and efficiency of spending. Also important are investing in the training of managers, improving information systems, strengthening the principles of autonomy and interdependence, and defining patterns of cooperation within the federation.

New Toxoplasma gondii genotypes isolated from free-range chickens from the Fernando de Noronha, Brazil: unexpected findings

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Worldwide comparison of Toxoplasma gondii isolates from free range chickens has indicated that T. gondii isolates from Brazil are phenotypically and genetically different than isolates from other countries; most strains from Brazil are pathogenic to mice, there is great genetic variability, most iso...

Are shocks to renewable energy consumption permanent or temporary? Evidence from 54 developing and developed countries.

PubMed

Demir, Ender; Gozgor, Giray

2018-02-01

The renewable energy sources are considered as the important factor to decrease the level of carbon emissions and to promote the global green economy. Understanding the dynamics of renewable energy consumption, this paper analyzes whether there is a unit root in renewable energy consumption in 54 countries over the period 1971-2016. To this end, the unit root test of Narayan-Popp with two endogenous (unknown) breaks is implemented. The paper finds that renewable energy consumption series are stationary around a level and the time trend in 45 of 54 countries. In other words, renewable energy consumption follows a unit root process only in nine countries: Brazil, China, Colombia, India, Israel, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, and Turkey. The evidence implies that renewable energy demand policies, which aimed to decrease the carbon emissions, will only have permanent effects in those nine countries.

Economic gradients in early child neurodevelopment: A multi-country study

PubMed Central

Wehby, George L.; McCarthy, Ann Marie

2013-01-01

Little is known about the importance of household wealth for child neurodevelopment very early in life including during infancy. Previous studies have focused on specific developmental domains instead of more holistic multi-domain measures of neurodevelopment and on economic effects for the “average” child instead of evaluating the heterogeneity in economic gradients by different levels of developmental ability. Furthermore, not much is known about whether economic gradients in early child neurodevelopment are country-specific or generalizable between populations. We evaluate wealth gradients in child neurodevelopment, an important predictor of future health and human capital, between ages 3 and 24 months in four South American countries. We also assess the heterogeneity in these gradients at different locations of the neurodevelopment distribution using quantile regression. Employing a unique dataset of 2032 children with neurodevelopment measures obtained by physicians in 2005–2006, we find a large positive wealth gradient in neurodevelopment in Brazil. The wealth gradient is larger for children at higher neurodevelopment rankings, suggesting that wealth is associated with child development inequalities in the form of a wider gap between low and high achievers on neurodevelopment in Brazil. This result highlights the need to target poverty in Brazil as a key factor in health and human capital disparities earlier in life rather than later as early developmental deficits will be carried forward and possibly multiplied later in life. More importantly, small or insignificant wealth gradients are generally found in the other countries. These results suggest that wealth gradients in child neurodevelopment are country-specific and vary with population demographic, health, and socioeconomic characteristics. Therefore, findings from previous studies based on specific populations may not be generalizable to other countries. Furthermore, wealth gradients in child neurodevelopment appear to be dynamic rather than fixed and sensitive to population characteristics that modify their intensity. PMID:23273409

Trends and predictions for gastric cancer mortality in Brazil.

PubMed

de Souza Giusti, Angela Carolina Brandão; de Oliveira Salvador, Pétala Tuani Candido; Dos Santos, Juliano; Meira, Karina Cardoso; Camacho, Amanda Rodrigues; Guimarães, Raphael Mendonça; Souza, Dyego L B

2016-07-28

To analyze the effect of age-period and birth cohort on gastric cancer mortality, in Brazil and across its five geographic regions, by sex, in the population over 20 years of age, as well as make projections for the period 2010-2029. An ecological study is presented herein, which distributed gastric cancer-related deaths in Brazil and its geographic regions. The effects of age-period and birth cohort were calculated by the Poisson regression model and projections were made with the age-period-cohort model in the statistical program R. Progressive reduction of mortality rates was observed in the 1980's, and then higher and lower mortality rates were verified in the 2000's, for both sexes, in Brazil and for the South, Southeast and Midwest regions. A progressive decrease in mortality rates was observed for the Northeast (both sexes) and North (men only) regions within the period 1995-1999, followed by rising rates. Regional differences were demonstrated in the mortality rates for gastric cancer in Brazil, and the least developed regions of the country will present increases in projected mortality rates.

Trends and predictions for gastric cancer mortality in Brazil

PubMed Central

de Souza Giusti, Angela Carolina Brandão; de Oliveira Salvador, Pétala Tuani Candido; dos Santos, Juliano; Meira, Karina Cardoso; Camacho, Amanda Rodrigues; Guimarães, Raphael Mendonça; Souza, Dyego L B

2016-01-01

AIM: To analyze the effect of age-period and birth cohort on gastric cancer mortality, in Brazil and across its five geographic regions, by sex, in the population over 20 years of age, as well as make projections for the period 2010-2029. METHODS: An ecological study is presented herein, which distributed gastric cancer-related deaths in Brazil and its geographic regions. The effects of age-period and birth cohort were calculated by the Poisson regression model and projections were made with the age-period-cohort model in the statistical program R. RESULTS: Progressive reduction of mortality rates was observed in the 1980’s, and then higher and lower mortality rates were verified in the 2000’s, for both sexes, in Brazil and for the South, Southeast and Midwest regions. A progressive decrease in mortality rates was observed for the Northeast (both sexes) and North (men only) regions within the period 1995-1999, followed by rising rates. CONCLUSION: Regional differences were demonstrated in the mortality rates for gastric cancer in Brazil, and the least developed regions of the country will present increases in projected mortality rates. PMID:27605887

Situation Reports--Afghanistan, Bahrein, Brazil, Ecuador, Indonesia, Iraq, Morocco, Paraguay, People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, Peru, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, St. Christopher/Nevis, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, Yemen Arab Republic.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

International Planned Parenthood Federation, London (England).

Data relating to population and family planning in 17 foreign countries are presented in these situation reports. Countries included are Afghanistan, Bahrein, Brazil, Ecuador, Indonesia, Iraq, Morocco, Paraguay, People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, Peru, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, St. Christopher/Nevis, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, and…

Genotype x environment interaction for age at first calving in Brazilian and Colombian Holsteins.

PubMed

Cerón-Muñoz, M F; Tonhati, H; Costa, C N; Maldonado-Estrada, J; Rojas-Sarmiento, D

2004-08-01

The objective was to determine whether there is a genotype x environment interaction for age at first calving (AFC) in Holstein cattle in Brazil and Colombia. Data included 51,239 and 25,569 first-lactation records from Brazil and Colombia, respectively. Of 4230 sires in the data, 530 were North American sires used in both countries. Analyses were done using the REML bi-trait animal model, and AFC was considered as a distinct characteristic in each country. Fixed effects of contemporary group (herd-calving year), sire genetic group, and cow genetic group, and random effects of animal and residual variation were included in the model. Average AFC in Brazil and Colombia were 29.5 +/- 4.0 and 32.1 +/- 3.5 mo, respectively. Additive and residual genetic components and heritability coefficient for AFC in Brazil were 2.21 mo2, 9.41 mo2, and 0.19, respectively, whereas for Colombia, they were 1.02 mo2, 6.84 mo2, and 0.13, respectively. The genetic correlation of AFC between Brazil and Colombia was 0.78, indicating differences in ranking of sires consistent with a genotype x environment interaction. Therefore, in countries with differing environments, progeny of Holstein sires may calve at relatively younger or older ages compared with contemporary herdmates in one environment versus another.

A Systematic Review of Toxocariasis: A Neglected But High-Prevalence Disease in Brazil.

PubMed

Fialho, Paula Mayara Matos; Corrêa, Carlos Roberto Silveira

2016-06-01

Toxocariasis is an anthropozoonosis that occurs in all parts of the world. In particular, this disease can often be found in developing countries and in regions, where basic sanitation conditions are poor. However, industrialized countries have reported seroprevalence rates as high as 14.2% in humans. The definitive hosts of the disease are dogs and cats, whereas humans are a paratenic host. To determine the burden of toxocariasis in Brazil, we followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines to conduct a systematic review of the literature. Using keywords and applying the established criteria, we identified 160 publications and selected 22 articles for further analysis. The seroprevalence of toxocariasis in various regions of the country ranged from 4.2% to 65.4%. The highest prevalence was found in the northeast region, although the majority of the studies identified were from the southeast region. The findings suggest the importance of raising awareness among health professionals and public authorities about the fact that toxocariasis is a health problem. © The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

A Systematic Review of Toxocariasis: A Neglected but High-Prevalence Disease in Brazil

PubMed Central

Fialho, Paula Mayara Matos; Corrêa, Carlos Roberto Silveira

2016-01-01

Toxocariasis is an anthropozoonosis that occurs in all parts of the world. In particular, this disease can often be found in developing countries and in regions, where basic sanitation conditions are poor. However, industrialized countries have reported seroprevalence rates as high as 14.2% in humans. The definitive hosts of the disease are dogs and cats, whereas humans are a paratenic host. To determine the burden of toxocariasis in Brazil, we followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines to conduct a systematic review of the literature. Using keywords and applying the established criteria, we identified 160 publications and selected 22 articles for further analysis. The seroprevalence of toxocariasis in various regions of the country ranged from 4.2% to 65.4%. The highest prevalence was found in the northeast region, although the majority of the studies identified were from the southeast region. The findings suggest the importance of raising awareness among health professionals and public authorities about the fact that toxocariasis is a health problem. PMID:26834201

Public health and epidemiology journals published in Brazil and other Portuguese speaking countries

PubMed Central

Barreto, Mauricio L; Barata, Rita Barradas

2008-01-01

It is well known that papers written in languages other than English have a great risk of being ignored simply because these languages are not accessible to the international scientific community. The objective of this paper is to facilitate the access to the public health and epidemiology literature available in Portuguese speaking countries. It was found that it is particularly concentrated in Brazil, with some few examples in Portugal and none in other Portuguese speaking countries. This literature is predominantly written in Portuguese, but also in other languages such as English or Spanish. The paper describes the several journals, as well as the bibliographic databases that index these journals and how to access them. Most journals provide open-access with direct links in the indexing databases. The importance of this scientific production for the development of epidemiology as a scientific discipline and as a basic discipline for public health practice is discussed. To marginalize these publications has implications for a more balanced knowledge and understanding of the health problems and their determinants at a world-wide level. PMID:18826592

Obesity Prevention in Latin America.

PubMed

Kain, Juliana; Hernández Cordero, Sonia; Pineda, Diana; de Moraes, Augusto Ferreira; Antiporta, Daniel; Collese, Tatiana; Costa de Oliveira Forkert, Elsie; González, Laura; Miranda, Juan Jaime; Rivera, Juan

2014-06-01

In Latin American countries, obesity prevalence has increased significantly as a result of rapid urbanization and an improvement in socioeconomic conditions. We report the prevalence of overweight and/or obesity and prevention efforts in five countries: Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Peru, and Chile. In children, the highest and lowest rates of obesity are found in Chile (23 % in 6-year-olds) and Peru (1.8 % in those <5 years), respectively. In adults, Mexico and Chile present similar high rates of obesity (around 35 %), whereas in Brazil and Colombia, the rates are around 20 % and 16.5 %, respectively. In general, the highest prevalence occurs in low-income women. Every country has developed initiatives to target obesity, from the government to the private sector and academia, mainly at the health sector and school settings. Food labeling is being addressed, but has not been implemented yet. Two interventions are described, a community-based in Mexico and a school-based in Chile. Because the increase in chronic diseases, especially diabetes, has paralleled that of obesity, effective prevention efforts are urgently needed.

The course of specialization in public health in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 1926 to 2006: lessons and challenges

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Public health, as a field of knowledge, depends on its professionals. Their education and training, therefore, is considered to be an important factor for the quality of health services. In Brazil, the Course of Specialization in Public Health of the National School of Public Health is one of the oldest in the country. The course has existed for over 80 years, during which it has had an eventful history, with modifications in its organization, interruptions in its delivery, threats to its survival and changes in the institutions hosting it, reflecting the wider transformation in Brazilian society and public life over that period. Methods In this article we analyse this course via its history, disciplines, organization and characteristics of the student body. Results Insights were gained into the advancement of public health in Brazil and the progress of education for professionals in this field was highlighted. The course has formed nearly 2000 specialists in public health. Conclusions An analysis of the course's history provides valuable lessons for other schools of public health trying to train professionals in developing countries. PMID:20205733

Case studies in international tobacco surveillance: cigarette smuggling in Brazil.

PubMed

Shafey, O; Cokkinides, V; Cavalcante, T M; Teixeira, M; Vianna, C; Thun, M

2002-09-01

This article is the first in a series of international case studies developed by the American Cancer Society to illustrate use of publicly available surveillance data for regional tobacco control. A descriptive analysis of Brazil and Paraguay cigarette production and trade data from official sources. Per capita cigarette consumption for Brazil and its neighbour was calculated from 1970 to 1998 using data on production, imports, and exports from NATIONS, the National Tobacco Information Online System. A 63% decrease was observed in the estimate of per capita consumption of cigarettes in Brazil between 1986 and 1998 (from 1913 cigarettes per person in 1986 to 714 cigarettes per person in 1998) and a 16-fold increase in Paraguay was observed during the same period (from 678 cigarettes per person in 1986 to 10 929 cigarettes per person in 1998). Following Brazil's 1999 passage of a 150% cigarette export tax, cigarette exports fell 89% and Brazil's estimated per capita consumption rose to 1990 levels (based on preliminary data). Per capita consumption in Paraguay also fell to 1990 levels. These trends coincide with local evidence that large volumes of cigarettes manufactured in Brazil for export to Paraguay are smuggled back and consumed as tax-free contraband in Brazil. It is hoped that this case study will draw wider public attention to the problems that smuggling presents for tobacco control, help identify other countries confronting similar issues, and stimulate effective interventions.

Reduction of ruminant methane emissions - a win-win-win opportunity for business, development, and the environment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Livingston, R.

1997-12-31

This paper describes research efforts of The Global Livestock Producers Program (GLPP) in establishing self-sustaining enterprises for cost-effective technologies (i.e., animal nutrition and genetic improvement) and global methane emissions reductions in developing world nations. The US Environmental Protection Agency has funded several studies to examine the possibilities of reducing ruminant methane emissions in India, Tanzania, Bangladesh, and Brazil. The results of the studies showed that: (1) many developing countries` production systems are inefficient, and (2) great potential exists for decreasing global methane emissions through increasing animal productivity. From this effort, the GLPP established livestock development projects in India, Zimbabwe, andmore » Tanzania, and is developing projects for Bangladesh, Nepal, and Brazil. The GLPP has developed a proven methodology for assessing ruminant methane and incorporating methane emissions monitoring into viable projects.« less

Modeling temporal and spatial variability of leaf wetness duration in Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alvares, Clayton Alcarde; de Mattos, Eduardo Moré; Sentelhas, Paulo Cesar; Miranda, Aline Cristina; Stape, José Luiz

2015-05-01

Leaf wetness duration (LWD) is recognized as a very important conditioner of crops and forests diseases, but clearly, there is a considerable gap in literature on temporal models for prediction of LWD in broad regions from standard meteorological data. The objective of this study was to develop monthly LWD models based on the relationship between hours of relative humidity (RH) ≥ 90 % and average RH for Brazil and based on these models to characterize the temporal and spatial LWD variability across the country. Two different relative humidity databases, being one in an hourly basis (RHh) and another in a monthly basis (RHm), were used. To elaborate the LWD models, 58 automatic weather stations distributed across the country were selected. Monthly LWD maps for the entire country were prepared, and for that, the RHm from the 358 conventional weather stations were interpolated using geostatistical techniques. RHm and LWD showed sigmoidal relationship with determination coefficient above 0.84 and were highly significant ( p < 0.0001). In relation to the validation of the LWD monthly models, a very good performance for all months was obtained, with very high precision with r between 0.92 and 0.96. Regarding the errors, mean error showed a slight tendency of overestimation during February (0.29 h day-1), May (0.31 h day-1), July (0.14 h day-1), and August (0.34 h day-1), whereas for the other months, the tendency was of underestimation like January (-0.27 h day-1) and March (-0.25 h day-1). Even as a first approach, the results presented here represent a great advance in the climatology of LWD for Brazil and will allow the development of studies related to crop and forest diseases control plans.

History, epidemiology and diagnostics of dengue in the American and Brazilian contexts: a review.

PubMed

Salles, Tiago Souza; da Encarnação Sá-Guimarães, Thayane; de Alvarenga, Evelyn Seam Lima; Guimarães-Ribeiro, Victor; de Meneses, Marcelo Damião Ferreira; de Castro-Salles, Patricia Faria; Dos Santos, Carlucio Rocha; do Amaral Melo, Ana Claudia; Soares, Marcia Regina; Ferreira, Davis Fernandes; Moreira, Monica Ferreira

2018-04-24

Dengue virus (DENV), an arbovirus transmitted by mosquitoes, has become a major threat to American human life, reaching approximately 23 million cases from 1980 to 2017. Brazil is among the countries most affected by this terrible viral disease, with 13.6 million cases. DENV has four different serotypes, DENV1-4, which show a broad clinical spectrum. Dengue creates a staggering epidemiological and economic burden for endemic countries. Without a specific therapy and with a commercial vaccine that presents some problems relative to its full effectiveness, initiatives to improve vector control strategies, early disease diagnostics and the development of vaccines and antiviral drugs are priorities. In this study, we present the probable origins of dengue in America and the trajectories of its spread. Overall, dengue diagnostics are costly, making the monitoring of dengue epidemiology more difficult and affecting physicians' therapeutic decisions regarding dengue patients, especially in developing countries. This review also highlights some recent and important findings regarding dengue in Brazil and the Americas. We also summarize the existing DENV polymerase chain reaction (PCR) diagnostic tests to provide an improved reference since these tests are useful and accurate at discriminating DENV from other flaviviruses that co-circulate in the Americas. Additionally, these DENV PCR assays ensure virus serotyping, enabling epidemiologic monitoring.

Impact of rotavirus vaccination on diarrhea-related hospitalizations in São Paulo State, Brazil.

PubMed

Fernandes, Eder Gatti; Sato, Helena Keico; Leshem, Eyal; Flannery, Brendan; Konstantyner, Thais Claudia Roma de Oliveira; Veras, Maria Amélia de Sousa Mascena; Patel, Manish M

2014-06-05

Following introduction of routine infant rotavirus vaccination, severe diarrhea hospitalization rates declined among children aged <5 years throughout Brazil. Ensuring equity of rotavirus vaccine impact is important in countries that self-finance immunization programs. The objective of this study was to examine rotavirus vaccine impact on diarrhea admission rates among children aged <5 years in Brazil's public health system, according to area-based measures of human development in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Ecological analysis of public health system hospitalization rates for acute gastroenteritis among children aged <5 years in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, according to five categories of municipal development based on a modified Human Development Index for municipalities. Acute gastroenteritis hospitalization rates among children aged <5 years after national rotavirus vaccine introduction (2008-2011) were compared to rates in pre-vaccine years (2000-2005) to calculate percent decline in rates (1-rate ratio) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for each municipal development category. Direct hospitalization costs during the two periods were compared. Annual rates declined by 40% (95% CI, 39-42%) from 631 diarrhea hospitalizations per 100,000 person years pre-rotavirus vaccination to 377 per 100,000 post-vaccination among children aged <5 years and 50% (95% CI, 48-52%) from 1009 to 505 per 100,000 among infants. Highest rates were observed in least developed municipalities. Significant declines of 26-52% among children <5 years and 41-63% among infants were observed in all categories of municipal development. Lower diarrhea hospitalization rates resulted in annual savings of approximately 2 million USD for the state of São Paulo. Savings in direct hospitalization costs benefitted municipalities in all five categories. The introduction of rotavirus vaccination was associated with substantial reductions of diarrhea-related admissions at all levels of municipal development in São Paulo State, Brazil. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Transformation of traditional knowledge of medicinal plants: the case of Tyroleans (Austria) who migrated to Australia, Brazil and Peru

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background In ethnobotanical research, the investigation into traditional knowledge of medicinal plants in the context of migration has been of increasing interest in recent decades since it is influenced and changed by new environmental and social conditions. It most likely undergoes transformation processes to match the different living circumstances in the new location. This study compares the traditional knowledge of medicinal plants held by Tyroleans – and their descendants – who emigrated to Australia, Brazil and Peru at different time scales. The study’s findings allow a discussion of the complexities and dynamics that influence this knowledge within the context of long-distance migration. Methods Information was obtained from 65 informants by free-listing, semi-structured interviews and non-participatory observation in Tyrol (Austria) and the migrants’ countries: Australia, Brazil and Peru. The collected data was analysed using different quantitative approaches, including statistical tests, and compared between the countries of investigation. Results All respondents in all four investigation areas claimed that they had knowledge and made use of medicinal plants to treat basic ailments in their day-to-day lives. Informants made 1,139 citations of medicinal plants in total in free lists, which correspond to 164 botanical taxa (genus or species level) in Tyrol, 87 in Australia, 84 in Brazil and 134 in Peru. Of all the botanical taxa listed, only five (1.1%) were listed in all four countries under investigation. Agreement among informants within free lists was highest in Tyrol (17%), followed by Peru (12.2%), Australia (11.9%) and Brazil (11.2%). The proportion of agreement differs significantly between informants in Australia and Tyrol (p = 0.001), Brazil and Tyrol (p = 0.001) and Peru and Tyrol (p = 0.001) and is similar between informants in the migrant countries, as indicated by statistical tests. We recorded 1,286 use citations according to 744 different uses (Tyrol: 552, Australia: 200, Brazil: 180, Peru: 357) belonging to 22 different categories of use. Use values are significantly different between Tyrol and Australia (p < 0.001) but not between Tyrol and Brazil (p = 0.127) and Tyrol and Peru (p = 0.853). The average informant agreement ratio (IAR) in Tyrol is significantly higher than in Australia (p = 0.089) and Brazil (p = 0.238), but not Peru (p = 0.019). Conclusions Changing ecological and social conditions have transformed and shaped traditional knowledge of medicinal plants through adaptation processes to match the new circumstances in the country of arrival. Continuation, substitution and replacement are strategies that have taken place at different rates depending on local circumstances in the research areas. Traditional knowledge of medicinal plants acquired in the home country is continuously diminishing, with its composition influenced by urbanisation and ongoing globalisation processes and challenged by shifts from traditional healing practices to modern healthcare facilities. PMID:23157876

Social stigma, legal and public health barriers faced by the third gender phenomena in Brazil, India and Mexico: Travestis, hijras and muxes.

PubMed

Diehl, Alessandra; Vieira, Denise Leite; Zaneti, Marina Milograna; Fanganiello, Ana; Sharan, Pratap; Robles, Rebecca; de Jesus Mari, Jair

2017-08-01

The aim of this article is to provide a narrative literature review of the 'third gender' phenomenon in Brazil ( Travestis), India ( Hijras) and Mexico ( Muxes), considering the social stigma, the legal and health aspects of these identities. These three groups share similar experiences of stigmatisation, marginalisation, sexual abuse, HIV infection, infringement of civil rights and harassment accessing health services. Brazil, India and Mexico public services for the third gender conditions are still very scarce and inadequate for the heavy demand from potential users. Although all three countries have used legislation to promote provision of comprehensive healthcare services for third gender, there is still strong resistance to implementation of such laws and policies. Brazil, India and Mexico face a huge challenge to become countries where all human rights are respected.

Childhood behaviour problems predict crime and violence in late adolescence: Brazilian and British birth cohort studies.

PubMed

Murray, Joseph; Menezes, Ana M B; Hickman, Matthew; Maughan, Barbara; Gallo, Erika Alejandra Giraldo; Matijasevich, Alicia; Gonçalves, Helen; Anselmi, Luciana; Assunção, Maria Cecília F; Barros, Fernando C; Victora, Cesar G

2015-04-01

Most children live in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), many of which have high levels of violence. Research in high-income countries (HICs) shows that childhood behaviour problems are important precursors of crime and violence. Evidence is lacking on whether this is also true in LMICs. This study examines prevalence rates and associations between conduct problems and hyperactivity and crime and violence in Brazil and Britain. A comparison was made of birth cohorts in Brazil and Britain, including measures of behaviour problems based on parental report at age 11, and self-reports of crime at age 18 (N = 3,618 Brazil; N = 4,103 Britain). Confounders were measured in the perinatal period and at age 11 in questionnaires completed by the mother and, in Brazil, searches of police records regarding parental crime. Conduct problems, hyperactivity and violent crime were more prevalent in Brazil than in Britain, but nonviolent crime was more prevalent in Britain. Sex differences in prevalence rates were larger where behaviours were less common: larger for conduct problems, hyperactivity, and violent crime in Britain, and larger for nonviolent crime in Brazil. Conduct problems and hyperactivity predicted nonviolent and violent crime similarly in both countries; the effects were partly explained by perinatal health factors and childhood family environments. Conduct problems and hyperactivity are similar precursors of crime and violence across different social settings. Early crime and violence prevention programmes could target these behavioural difficulties and associated risks in LMICs as well as in HICs.

Treatment outcomes for Hodgkin lymphoma: First report from the Brazilian Prospective Registry.

PubMed

Biasoli, Irene; Castro, Nelson; Delamain, Marcia; Silveira, Talita; Farley, James; Simões, Belinda Pinto; Solza, Cristiana; Praxedes, Monica; Baiocchi, Otávio; Gaiolla, Rafael; Franceschi, Fernanda; Sola, Caroline Bonamin; Boquimpani, Carla; Clementino, Nelma; Perini, Guilherme; Pagnano, Kátia; Steffenello, Giovanna; Tabacof, Jacques; de Freitas Colli, Gilberto; Soares, Andrea; de Souza, Carmino; Chiattone, Carlos Sérgio; Milito, Cristiane; Morais, José Carlos; Spector, Nelson

2018-02-01

Data about Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) in developing countries are scarce and suggest the existence of substantial disparities in healthcare and outcomes in large areas of the world. In 2009, a prospective registry of HL was implemented in Brazil. Web-based data were contributed by 20 institutions across the country participating in the Brazilian Prospective Hodgkin's Lymphoma Registry. The aim of this study was to present the clinical features and outcomes of newly diagnosed patients with HL aged 13 to 90 years. Multivariate Cox regression models were used to estimate progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS) by clinical factors. A total of 674 patients with classical HL were analysed, with a median follow-up of 37 months. Median age was 30 years (13-90). The median time from the onset of symptoms to diagnosis was 6 months (0-60). Only 6% of patients had early favourable disease, while 65% had advanced disease. Stage IVB was present in 26% and a high-risk International Prognostic Score in 38%. Doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine was used in 93%. The median dose of radiotherapy was 36 Gy for localized disease and 32 Gy for advanced disease. The 3 year PFS in early favourable, early unfavourable, and advanced disease were 95%, 88%, and 66%, respectively. High-risk International Prognostic Score, advanced disease, and age greater than or equal to 60 were independently associated with poorer PFS and OS; performance status greater than or equal to 2 was also associated with a poorer OS. Poor-risk patients predominated. Radiation doses for localized disease appear higher than current recommendations. Outcomes appear inferior in developing countries than in developed countries. Delayed diagnosis is probably a major factor underlying these findings. Scattered reports from developing nations suggest that many aspects of standard care in developed countries remain unmet needs for populations living in developing countries. The present report contributes to this body of data, with a proper description of what is currently achieved in urban areas in Brazil. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Zika: what we do and do not know based on the experiences of Brazil.

PubMed

Possas, Cristina

2016-01-01

Zika virus, which was first discovered in 1947, has become a global threat to human health as it is rapidly spreading through Latin America, the Caribbean, the US and Asia, after causing a large outbreak in the Northeast region of Brazil in 2015. There is ample evidence to support that Zika virus is associated with neurological complications such as microcephaly. The review aims to provide an overview on the complex issues involved in the emergence of Zika virus's neurological disorders and to discuss possible explanations of Zika virus introduction and dissemination in Brazil. We also suggest national and global strategies to adequately respond to the Zika virus emergence. We provide an analytical evaluation of the main issues related to the Zika outbreak in Brazil, based on available scientific literature, including government documents, and on epidemiological information from national surveillance databases. The studies on the clinical manifestations of the Zika virus infection coupled with the epidemiological surveillance information in Brazil have provided significant evidence that the Zika virus is associated with neurological disorders such as microcephaly and Guillain-Barré syndrome. Based on phylogenetic and molecular analysis, the hypothesis regarding the introduction of Zika virus in the country is that it took place following international events in 2013 and 2014, when many foreign visitors could have brought Zika virus into Brazil. The immunologically naïve status of populations in the Americas, previous infection with dengue virus, and the increased activity of Aedes aegypti might be the contributing factors for such an outbreak in Brazil. The Zika virus emergence emphasized the importance of cross-disciplinary perspective. Besides the scientific-based vector control strategies, it is important to understand the nature of the evolutionary processes involved in the viral evolution in complex ecosystems and to have social and anthropological knowledge on the conditions related to the spread of the disease in order to properly respond to the spread of the Zika virus. The experiences of Brazil have demonstrated the significance of multi-disciplinary approach in response to new and resurgent arboviral diseases and provided important lessons that could be applied to other developing countries.

Zika: what we do and do not know based on the experiences of Brazil

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

OBJECTIVES: Zika virus, which was first discovered in 1947, has become a global threat to human health as it is rapidly spreading through Latin America, the Caribbean, the US and Asia, after causing a large outbreak in the Northeast region of Brazil in 2015. There is ample evidence to support that Zika virus is associated with neurological complications such as microcephaly. The review aims to provide an overview on the complex issues involved in the emergence of Zika virus’s neurological disorders and to discuss possible explanations of Zika virus introduction and dissemination in Brazil. We also suggest national and global strategies to adequately respond to the Zika virus emergence. METHODS: We provide an analytical evaluation of the main issues related to the Zika outbreak in Brazil, based on available scientific literature, including government documents, and on epidemiological information from national surveillance databases. RESULTS: The studies on the clinical manifestations of the Zika virus infection coupled with the epidemiological surveillance information in Brazil have provided significant evidence that the Zika virus is associated with neurological disorders such as microcephaly and Guillain-Barré syndrome. Based on phylogenetic and molecular analysis, the hypothesis regarding the introduction of Zika virus in the country is that it took place following international events in 2013 and 2014, when many foreign visitors could have brought Zika virus into Brazil. The immunologically naïve status of populations in the Americas, previous infection with dengue virus, and the increased activity of Aedes aegypti might be the contributing factors for such an outbreak in Brazil. The Zika virus emergence emphasized the importance of cross-disciplinary perspective. Besides the scientific-based vector control strategies, it is important to understand the nature of the evolutionary processes involved in the viral evolution in complex ecosystems and to have social and anthropological knowledge on the conditions related to the spread of the disease in order to properly respond to the spread of the Zika virus. CONCLUSIONS: The experiences of Brazil have demonstrated the significance of multi-disciplinary approach in response to new and resurgent arboviral diseases and provided important lessons that could be applied to other developing countries. PMID:27283140

A Low-Cost and Simple Genetic Screening for Cystic Fibrosis Provided by the Brazilian Public Health System.

PubMed

Rispoli, Thaiane; Martins de Castro, Simone; Grandi, Tarciana; Prado, Mayara; Filippon, Letícia; Dornelles da Silva, Cláudia Maria; Vargas, José Eduardo; Rossetti, Lucia Maria Rosa

2018-05-03

Cystic fibrosis newborn screening was implemented in Brazil by the Public Health System in 2012. Because of cost, only 1 mutation was tested - p.Phe508del. We developed a robust low-cost genetic test for screening 11 CFTR gene mutations with potential use in developing countries. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A model to optimize public health care and downstage breast cancer in limited-resource populations in southern Brazil. (Porto Alegre Breast Health Intervention Cohort)

PubMed Central

Caleffi, Maira; Ribeiro, Rodrigo A; Filho, Dakir L Duarte; Ashton-Prolla, Patrícia; Bedin, Ademar J; Skonieski, Giovana P; Zignani, Juliana M; Giacomazzi, Juliana; Franco, Luciane R; Graudenz, Márcia; Pohlmann, Paula; Fernandes, Jefferson G; Kivitz, Philip; Weber, Bernardete

2009-01-01

Background Breast cancer (BC) is a major public health problem, with rising incidence in many regions of the globe. Although mortality has recently dropped in developed countries, death rates are still increasing in some developing countries, as seen in Brazil. Among the reasons for this phenomenon are the lack of structured screening programs, a long waiting period between diagnosis and treatment, and lack of access to health services for a large proportion of the Brazilian population. Methods and design Since 2004, an intervention study in a cohort of women in Southern Brazil, denominated Porto Alegre Breast Health Intervention Cohort, is being conducted in order to test the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a model for BC early detection and treatment. In this study, over 4,000 women from underserved communities aged 40 to 69 years are being screened annually with mammography and clinical breast examination performed by a multidisciplinary team, which also involves nutritional counseling and genetic cancer risk assessment. Risk factors for BC development are also being evaluated. Active search of participants by lay community health workers is one of the major features of our program. The accrual of new participants was concluded in 2006 and the study will last for 10 years. The main goal of the study is to demonstrate significant downstaging of BC in an underserved population through proper screening, attaining a higher rate of early-stage BC diagnoses than usually seen in women diagnosed in the Brazilian Public Health System. Preliminary results show a very high BC incidence in this population (117 cases per 100,000 women per year), despite a low prevalence of classical risk factors. Discussion This study will allow us to test a model of BC early diagnosis and treatment and evaluate its cost-effectiveness in a developing country where the mortality associated with this disease is very high. Also, it might contribute to the evaluation of risk factors in a population with a different ethnic background from that studied in developed countries. If our model is proven effective, it may be replicated in other parts of the globe where BC is also a major public health problem. PMID:19284670

Rural Poverty Alleviation in Brazil: Toward an Integrated Strategy. World Bank Country Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valdes, Alberto; Mistiaen, Johan A.

This report constitutes a step toward designing an integrated strategy for rural poverty reduction in Brazil. The report contains an updated and detailed profile of the rural poor in the northeast and southeast regions of Brazil; identifies key components of rural poverty in those regions; and proposes a five-pronged strategic framework in which…

Marist Education in Brazil: Achievements and Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

do Prado, João Carlos; Mateucci, Rogério Renato

2017-01-01

This article explores the history of the Marist Institute in Brazil. It is justified on the basis of the Marist wide-ranging mission in the country for more than a century. The text begins with a discussion of the institution's historical context and the reasons for its foundation in Brazil. Then it suggests the main causes of its success until…

Height-for-age z scores increase despite increasing height deficits among children in 5 developing countries.

PubMed

Lundeen, Elizabeth A; Stein, Aryeh D; Adair, Linda S; Behrman, Jere R; Bhargava, Santosh K; Dearden, Kirk A; Gigante, Denise; Norris, Shane A; Richter, Linda M; Fall, Caroline H D; Martorell, Reynaldo; Sachdev, Harshpal Singh; Victora, Cesar G

2014-09-01

Growth failure remains a persistent challenge in many countries, and understanding child growth patterns is critical to the development of appropriate interventions and their evaluation. The interpretation of changes in mean height-for-age z scores (HAZs) over time to define catch-up growth has been a subject of debate. Most studies of child growth have been cross-sectional or have focused on children through age 5 y. The aim was to characterize patterns of linear growth among individuals followed from birth into adulthood. We compared HAZs and difference in height (cm) from the WHO reference median at birth, 12 mo, 24 mo, mid-childhood, and adulthood for 5287 individuals from birth cohorts in Brazil, Guatemala, India, the Philippines, and South Africa. Mean HAZs were <0 at birth in the 3 cohorts with data and ranged from -0.6 (Brazil) to -2.9 (Guatemala) at age 24 mo. Between 24 mo and mid-childhood, HAZ values increased by 0.3-0.5 in South Africa, Guatemala, and the Philippines and were unchanged in Brazil and India. Between mid-childhood and adulthood, mean HAZs increased in all cohorts but remained <0 in adulthood [mean range: -0.3 (Brazil) to -1.8 (Guatemala and Philippines)]. However, from 24 mo to adulthood, height differences from the reference median became greater. From age 2 y to adulthood, mean HAZs increased, even though height deficits relative to the reference median also increased. These 2 metrics may result in different interpretations of the potential for and the impact of catch-up growth in height. © 2014 American Society for Nutrition.

Height-for-age z scores increase despite increasing height deficits among children in 5 developing countries123

PubMed Central

Lundeen, Elizabeth A; Stein, Aryeh D; Adair, Linda S; Behrman, Jere R; Bhargava, Santosh K; Dearden, Kirk A; Gigante, Denise; Norris, Shane A; Richter, Linda M; Fall, Caroline HD; Martorell, Reynaldo; Sachdev, Harshpal Singh; Victora, Cesar G

2014-01-01

Background: Growth failure remains a persistent challenge in many countries, and understanding child growth patterns is critical to the development of appropriate interventions and their evaluation. The interpretation of changes in mean height-for-age z scores (HAZs) over time to define catch-up growth has been a subject of debate. Most studies of child growth have been cross-sectional or have focused on children through age 5 y. Objective: The aim was to characterize patterns of linear growth among individuals followed from birth into adulthood. Design: We compared HAZs and difference in height (cm) from the WHO reference median at birth, 12 mo, 24 mo, mid-childhood, and adulthood for 5287 individuals from birth cohorts in Brazil, Guatemala, India, the Philippines, and South Africa. Results: Mean HAZs were <0 at birth in the 3 cohorts with data and ranged from −0.6 (Brazil) to −2.9 (Guatemala) at age 24 mo. Between 24 mo and mid-childhood, HAZ values increased by 0.3–0.5 in South Africa, Guatemala, and the Philippines and were unchanged in Brazil and India. Between mid-childhood and adulthood, mean HAZs increased in all cohorts but remained <0 in adulthood [mean range: −0.3 (Brazil) to −1.8 (Guatemala and Philippines)]. However, from 24 mo to adulthood, height differences from the reference median became greater. Conclusions: From age 2 y to adulthood, mean HAZs increased, even though height deficits relative to the reference median also increased. These 2 metrics may result in different interpretations of the potential for and the impact of catch-up growth in height. PMID:25008854

Addiction research centres and the nurturing of creativity. National institute on alcohol and drugs policies, Brazil.

PubMed

Laranjeira, Ronaldo; Mitsuhiro, Sandro Sendin

2012-04-01

The National Institute of Public Policy for Alcohol and Other Drugs (INPAD) is based at the Federal University of São Paulo, Brazil, and was created to collect scientific evidence regarding epidemiology, develop new therapeutic approaches, study health economics and provide education to subsidize the proper measures to change the Brazilian scenario of alcohol and drug consumption. Policies directed towards the control of alcohol and drugs in Brazil are fragmented, poorly enforced and therefore ineffective. The unregulated market of alcohol in Brazil has contributed to the worsening health of the Brazilian population. Since 1994, INPAD has participated actively in academic debates and discussions about alcohol and drug policies and their effects on the political welfare of the country. Many scientific papers and books have been published on this subject, and the internet and other media have provided excellent opportunities for the dissemination of specialized information to the general population. © 2011 The Authors, Addiction © 2011 Society for the Study of Addiction.

Quantifying the risk of deforestation in Latin America and the Caribbean.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manners, Rhys; Varela-Ortega, Consuelo

2015-04-01

Latin American and Caribbean countries have seen considerable deforestation due to a complex web of interconnected and interdependent causes, which include agricultural expansion, infrastructure development, social demographics and governmental policies and activity. It is necessary for successful and efficient policy development to understand how variability in these causes can potentially result in increased or decreased deforestation. The purpose of this study is to develop a tool that can quantify the risk, as in the threat or pressure, of potential deforestation, whilst identifying the key indicators that contribute to this risk. This tool will take the form of a composite index that will provide spatial and temporal trends of deforestation risk across Latin America and the Caribbean. The development of the Deforestation Risk Index (DRI) was based upon work performed in the EU project ROBIN1. Indicators of deforestation included in the index were identified based upon the multi-scalar approach adopted in ROBIN- nationally from principal component analysis and econometric modelling, provincially from extensive interviews with experts and farmers (subsistence and commercial) in Amazonian regions of Bolivia and Brazil, and locally from stakeholder workshops in Bolivia, Brazil and Mexico. The identification process was supported by an extensive literature review. In total, 11 indicators were identified and grouped into four components (biophysical, economic, governance and social) capable of explaining the risk of deforestation in Latin America and Caribbean countries. The DRI was calculated for 24 Latin American and Caribbean countries in the years 2000, 2005 and 2010 using national-level data collected from open access databases (FAOStat, WorldBank and UNDP). The DRI was subjected to two weighting schemes; the first based upon the opinions of experts from ROBIN (weighted biophysical and governance components heavily), and the second developed from the results of the ROBIN stakeholder workshops (heavily weighted the governance component). The results from the DRI were categorised as; low risk, moderate risk, at risk, elevated risk, high risk and extreme risk. The DRI demonstrated that in over 60% of countries, the risk of deforestation reduced between 2000-2010 with Belize, Costa Rica, Guyana and Venezuela being notable exceptions. Countries that saw reductions in their risk did so through economic growth (per capita GDP), institutional development (governmental effectiveness and regulatory quality), as well reductions in the scale of agricultural expansion. Despite the general trend towards lower risk, Amazonian countries were still found to be subject to potential deforestation. Bolivia, Ecuador, Guyana and Suriname were estimated to have an elevated risk of deforestation, with Brazil, Colombia and Peru considered to be at risk in 2010. The DRI provides an innovative, potentially multi-scalar tool, that can be used by national policy makers to identify where policies should be developed and directed, where specific measures in international programs such as REDD/+ could be most effectively pursued, and for international policy makers to identify and to tailor development or aid packages that reduce rather than contribute to deforestation.

A hydrophysical database to develop pedotransfer functions for Brazilian soils: challenges and perspectives

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Access to soil hydrological data is vital for hydrology projects and for supporting decision-making in issues related to the availability of food and water and the forecasting of phenomena related to soil surface stability. Brazil is a country of continental dimensions and has accumulated a signific...

Education and Training in Natural Forest Management. Training Discussion Paper No. 88.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Longo, Alceu Natal

A program for natural forest management in developing countries consists of several integrated projects. Although aimed at establishing norms and criteria for natural forest management in Mata Atlantica (Atlantic Forest) in southern Brazil, the norms also apply to other types of tropical vegetation in order to ensure continuous economic…

Communicating with Low-Income and Low Education Farmers in a Developing Country.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fett, John H.

Selected findings from a number of communication research projects conducted by, or in collaboration with, the Economic Studies and Research Institute (IEPE), Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, are reported. Communication research in IEPE during the past 4 years has concentrated on mass media performance and use, because extension…

A Constant Search: Arts-Integration in Cross-Cultural Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wootton, Kurt

2008-01-01

Ten years ago, the ArtsLiteracy Project in the Education Department at Brown University was started with the goal of developing literacy through the performing arts, with the idea of bringing together people from different countries. This article describes an innovative cross-cultural arts integrated language program in Brazil, created by the…

The SciELO Open Access: A Gold Way from the South

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Packer, Abel L.

2009-01-01

Open access has long emphasized access to scholarly materials. However, open access can also mean access to the means of producing visible and recognized journals. This issue is particularly important in developing and emergent countries. The SciELO (Scientific Electronic Library On-line) project, first started in Brazil and, shortly afterward, in…

Secular trends of height, weight and BMI in young adult Brazilian military students in the 20th century.

PubMed

Avila, J A; Avila, R A; Gonçalves, E M; Barbeta, V J O; Morcillo, A M; Guerra-Junior, G

2013-01-01

Secular trends of increasing weight and height over past centuries are well documented in developed countries. However, these data are still scarce in developing countries such as Brazil. To verify the secular trends of height, weight and body mass index (BMI) of military students from Brazilian Army schools who were born between the 1920s and 1990s. A retrospective study was performed, which included a survey of data from the files of two Army schools. The sample was composed of subjects aged between 18-20 years old. The study analysed 2169 heights and 1741 weights and BMIs. During the evaluation period, height increased 7.3 cm, weight 9.8 kg and BMI 1.8 kg/m(2). The most significant gains were observed in subjects born from the 1920s to the 1940s and the 1960s to the 1970s. Secular trends of growth in military students born in the 20th century were positive in Brazil, although increases were not constant decade-by-decade.

Unsustainable development pathways caused by tropical deforestation

PubMed Central

Carrasco, Luis Roman; Nghiem, Thi Phuong Le; Chen, Zhirong; Barbier, Edward B.

2017-01-01

Global sustainability strategies require assessing whether countries’ development trajectories are sustainable over time. However, sustainability assessments are limited because losses of natural capital and its ecosystem services through deforestation have not been comprehensively incorporated into national accounts. We update the national accounts of 80 nations that underwent tropical deforestation from 2000 to 2012 and evaluate their development trajectories using weak and strong sustainability criteria. Weak sustainability requires that countries do not decrease their aggregate capital over time. We adopt a strong sustainability criterion that countries do not decrease the value of their forest ecosystem services with respect to the year 2000. We identify several groups of countries: countries, such as Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and India, that present sustainable development trajectories under both weak and strong sustainability criteria; countries, such as Brazil, Peru, and Indonesia, that present weak sustainable development but fail the strong sustainability criterion as a result of rapid losses of ecosystem services; countries, such as Madagascar, Laos, and Papua New Guinea, that present unsustainable development pathways as a result of deforestation; and countries, such as Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone, in which deforestation aggravates already unsustainable pathways. Our results reveal a large number of countries where tropical deforestation is both damaging to nature and not compensated by development in other sectors, thus compromising the well-being of their future generations. PMID:28706988

Disappearing in the Night: An Overview on Trade and Legislation of Night Monkeys in South and Central America.

PubMed

Svensson, Magdalena S; Shanee, Sam; Shanee, Noga; Bannister, Flavia B; Cervera, Laura; Donati, Giuseppe; Huck, Maren; Jerusalinsky, Leandro; Juarez, Cecilia P; Maldonado, Angela M; Martinez Mollinedo, Jesus; Méndez-Carvajal, Pedro G; Molina Argandoña, Miguel A; Mollo Vino, Antonietta D; Nekaris, K A I; Peck, Mika; Rey-Goyeneche, Jennifer; Spaan, Denise; Nijman, Vincent

2016-01-01

The international trade in night monkeys (Aotus spp.), found throughout Central and South America, has been regulated by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) since 1975. We present a quantitative analysis of this trade from all 9 range countries, over 4 decades, and compare domestic legislation to CITES regulations. Night monkeys were exported from 8 of the 9 habitat countries, totalling 5,968 live individuals and 7,098 specimens, with trade of live individuals declining over time. In terms of species, the most commonly traded was Aotus nancymaae (present in Brazil, Colombia, Peru) followed by A. vociferans (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru) and A. zonalis (Colombia, Panama). There was no significant correlation between levels of trade and species' geographic range size or the number of countries in which a species occurs. Five countries have legislation that meets CITES requirements for implementation, whereas the other 4 countries' legislation showed deficiencies. Research conducted in Colombia, Peru, and Brazil suggests significant cross-border trade not captured in official international trade registers. Although international trade has diminished, current trends suggest that populations of rarer species may be under unsustainable pressure. Further research is needed to quantify real trade numbers occurring between habitat countries. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Astrobiology in Brazil: early history and perspectives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodrigues, Fabio; Galante, Douglas; Paulino-Lima, Ivan G.; Duarte, Rubens T. D.; Friaça, Amancio C. S.; Lage, Claudia; Janot-Pacheco, Eduardo; Teixeira, Ramachrisna; Horvath, Jorge E.

2012-10-01

This review reports the Brazilian history in astrobiology, as well as the first delineation of a vision of the future development of the field in the country, exploring its abundant biodiversity, highly capable human resources and state-of-the-art facilities, reflecting the last few years of stable governmental investments in science, technology and education, all conditions providing good perspectives on continued and steadily growing funding for astrobiology-related research. Brazil is growing steadily and fast in terms of its worldwide economic power, an effect being reflected in different areas of the Brazilian society, including industry, technology, education, social care and scientific production. In the field of astrobiology, the country has had some important landmarks, more intensely after the First Brazilian Workshop on Astrobiology in 2006. The history of astrobiology in Brazil, however, is not so recent and had its first occurrence in 1958. Since then, researchers carried out many individual initiatives across the country in astrobiology-related fields, resulting in an ever growing and expressive scientific production. The number of publications, including articles and theses, has particularly increased in the last decade, but still counting with the effort of researchers working individually. That scenario started to change in 2009, when a formal group of Brazilian researchers working with astrobiology was organized, aiming at congregating the scientific community interested in the subject and to promote the necessary interactions to achieve a multidisciplinary work, receiving facilities and funding from the University de Sao Paulo and other funding agencies.

[The history of the public health reform in Brazil and of the Sistema Único de Saúde: changes, continuities, and the current agenda].

PubMed

Menicucci, Telma Maria Gonçalves

2014-01-01

The paper offers a historical retrospective of Brazil's Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS), including its background and its legacy on its current design. It begins describing some of the system's structural problems, especially the co-existence of a public system alongside a private one. It identifies problems that have hampered a firmer solidification of SUS, while it also highlights the immense import of establishing a unified, universal system in a country the size of Brazil. The discussion includes the effects of the system, which has represented a major change in the field of social rights, introducing new actors, and internalizing the notion of health as a right. Lastly, recent developments that have put SUS on the public agenda are discussed.

The Challenge of Universal Eye Health in Latin America: distributive inequality of ophthalmologists in 14 countries

PubMed Central

Hong, Hannah; Mújica, Oscar J; Anaya, José; Lansingh, Van C; López, Ellery; Silva, Juan Carlos

2016-01-01

Background No comprehensive study currently exists on the supply of ophthalmologists across Latin America. We explored sociogeographic inequalities in the availability and distribution of ophthalmologists across 14 Latin American countries. Methods The National Ophthalmologic Societies of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela provided data on affiliated ophthalmologists by first-order subnational divisions in 2013. Human Development Index (HDI) estimates at the corresponding subnational division were used as equity stratifiers. Distributional inequality of ophthalmologists within each country was assessed by the health concentration index (HCI) and the index of dissimilarity (ID), along with the mean level of ophthalmologists per population. Results Across all countries studied, there were 5.2 ophthalmologists per 100 000 population on average (95% CI 5.0 to 5.4) in 2013, with a mean HCI of 0.26 (0.16 to 0.37) and a mean relative ID of 22.7% (20.9% to 24.7%). There was wide inequality in ophthalmologist availability between countries, ranging from 1.2 (1.1 to 1.4) in Ecuador to 8.6 (8.5 to 8.8) in Brazil. All countries had positive (ie, pro-rich) HCI values ranging from 0.68 (0.66 to 0.71) in Guatemala to 0.02 (−0.11 to 0.14) in Venezuela. Correspondingly, redistributive potential to achieve equity was closest in Venezuela (ID: 1.5%) and farthest in Guatemala (ID: 60.3%). Benchmarked against regional averages, most countries had a lower availability of ophthalmologists and higher relative inequality. Conclusions There is high inequality in the level and distribution of ophthalmologists between and within countries in Latin America, with a disproportionate number concentrated in more developed, socially advantaged areas. More equitable access to ophthalmologists could be achieved by implementing incentivised human resources redistribution programmes and by improving the social determinants of health in underserved areas. PMID:27864248

Political consumer behaviour among university students in Brazil and Germany: The role of contextual features and core political values.

PubMed

Kotzur, Patrick F; Torres, Cláudio V; Kedzior, Karina K; Boehnke, Klaus

2017-04-01

This study investigates the relationship between political consumerism and core political values (CPVs) among university students in Brazil (N = 414) and Germany (N = 222). Despite the prerequisite to endorse values that are compatible with political consumerism, contextual features of one's immediate environment might affect overall levels of political consumerism. Our results show that political consumerism is significantly associated with higher income in Brazil (but not in Germany). After controlling for income, political consumerism was practised more frequently in Germany than in Brazil, in urban compared with rural areas, and was not dependent on gender. The urban-rural split was stronger in Brazil than in Germany. These results confirm our hypothesis that contextual features are associated with political consumerism. Furthermore, the political value Equality positively predicted political consumerism in both countries. In contrast, Traditional Morality and support of Free Enterprise negatively predicted political consumerism, although the effect sizes of these relationships were only small. These results suggest that political consumerism among university students is widespread in Germany but not in Brazil. Interestingly, regardless of its low prevalence in Brazil, political consumerism is positively associated with the CPV of Equality among university students in both countries. © 2015 International Union of Psychological Science.

Exclusionary policies in urban development: Under-servicing migrant households in Brazilian cities

PubMed Central

Feler, Leo; Henderson, J. Vernon

2012-01-01

Localities in developed countries often enact regulations to deter low-income households from moving in. In developing countries, such restrictions lead to the emergence of informal housing sectors. To deter low-income migrants, localities in developing countries withhold public services to the informal housing sector. Using a large sample of Brazilian localities, we examine migration and exclusion, focusing on the public provision of water to small houses where low-income migrants are likely to live. Withholding water connections reduces the locality growth rate, particularly of low-education households. In terms of service provision, during dictatorship in Brazil, we find evidence of strategic exclusion, where localities appear to withhold services to deter in-migration. We also find evidence of strategic interactions among localities within metro areas in their setting of service levels: if one locality provides more services to migrant households, other localities respond by withholding service. PMID:22707807

[An overview of telehealth initiatives in Latin America].

PubMed

dos Santos, Alaneir de Fátima; D'Agostino, Marcelo; Bouskela, Maurício Simon; Fernandéz, Andrés; Messina, Luiz Ary; Alves, Humberto José

2014-01-01

This article aimed to systematize the views on telehealth in Latin America and to present the experience of building an instrument for monitoring the development of telehealth initiatives based on the reality of this region. A group was structured to coordinate telehealth efforts in Latin America, with members appointed by the ministries of health of 16 countries. Five thematic groups were also set up. Based on international experiences and focusing on the reality of telehealth in the continent, an instrument was created to monitor the development of telehealth in Latin America. Several countries have national telehealth projects: Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama. Others are in the process of development and early deployment: Bolivia, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Peru, Venezuela. The instrument described in the article, which is still being tested, proposes a characterization of countries according to their telehealth development stage: nonexistent, nascent, intermediate, advanced, and exemplary. Currently, important telehealth initiatives are already underway in Latin America.

Alcohol–attributed disease burden and alcohol policies in the BRICS–countries during the years 1990–2013

PubMed Central

Rabiee, Rynaz; Agardh, Emilie; Coates, Matthew M; Allebeck, Peter; Danielsson, Anna–Karin

2017-01-01

Background We aimed to assess alcohol consumption and alcohol–attributed disease burden by DALYs (disability adjusted life years) in the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) between 1990 and 2013, and explore to what extent these countries have implemented evidence–based alcohol policies during the same time period. Methods A comparative risk assessment approach and literature review, within a setting of the BRICS countries. Participants were the total populations (males and females combined) of each country. Levels of alcohol consumption, age–standardized alcohol–attributable DALYs per 100 000 and alcohol policy documents were measured. Results The alcohol–attributed disease burden mirrors level of consumption in Brazil, Russia and India, to some extent in China, but not in South Africa. Between the years 1990–2013 DALYs per 100 000 decreased in Brazil (from 2124 to 1902), China (from 1719 to 1250) and South Africa (from 2926 to 2662). An increase was observed in Russia (from 4015 to 4719) and India (from 1574 to 1722). Policies were implemented in all of the BRICS countries and the most common were tax increases, drink–driving measures and restrictions on advertisement. Conclusions There was an overall decrease in alcohol–related DALYs in Brazil, China and South Africa, while an overall increase was observed in Russia and India. Most notably is the change in DALYs in Russia, where a distinct increase from 1990–2005 was followed by a steady decrease from 2005–2013. Even if assessment of causality cannot be done, policy changes were generally followed by changes in alcohol–attributed disease burden. This highlights the importance of more detailed research on this topic. PMID:28400952

Alcohol-attributed disease burden and alcohol policies in the BRICS-countries during the years 1990-2013.

PubMed

Rabiee, Rynaz; Agardh, Emilie; Coates, Matthew M; Allebeck, Peter; Danielsson, Anna-Karin

2017-06-01

We aimed to assess alcohol consumption and alcohol-attributed disease burden by DALYs (disability adjusted life years) in the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) between 1990 and 2013, and explore to what extent these countries have implemented evidence-based alcohol policies during the same time period. A comparative risk assessment approach and literature review, within a setting of the BRICS countries. Participants were the total populations (males and females combined) of each country. Levels of alcohol consumption, age-standardized alcohol-attributable DALYs per 100 000 and alcohol policy documents were measured. The alcohol-attributed disease burden mirrors level of consumption in Brazil, Russia and India, to some extent in China, but not in South Africa. Between the years 1990-2013 DALYs per 100 000 decreased in Brazil (from 2124 to 1902), China (from 1719 to 1250) and South Africa (from 2926 to 2662). An increase was observed in Russia (from 4015 to 4719) and India (from 1574 to 1722). Policies were implemented in all of the BRICS countries and the most common were tax increases, drink-driving measures and restrictions on advertisement. There was an overall decrease in alcohol-related DALYs in Brazil, China and South Africa, while an overall increase was observed in Russia and India. Most notably is the change in DALYs in Russia, where a distinct increase from 1990-2005 was followed by a steady decrease from 2005-2013. Even if assessment of causality cannot be done, policy changes were generally followed by changes in alcohol-attributed disease burden. This highlights the importance of more detailed research on this topic.

First detection of natural infection of Aedes aegypti with Zika virus in Brazil and throughout South America

PubMed Central

Ferreira-de-Brito, Anielly; Ribeiro, Ieda P; de Miranda, Rafaella Moraes; Fernandes, Rosilainy Surubi; Campos, Stéphanie Silva; da Silva, Keli Antunes Barbosa; de Castro, Marcia Gonçalves; Bonaldo, Myrna C; Brasil, Patrícia; Lourenço-de-Oliveira, Ricardo

2016-01-01

Zika virus (ZIKV) has caused a major epidemic in Brazil and several other American countries. ZIKV is an arbovirus whose natural vectors during epidemics have been poorly determined. In this study, 1,683 mosquitoes collected in the vicinity of ZIKV suspected cases in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from June 2015 to May 2016 were screened for natural infection by using molecular methods. Three pools of Aedes aegypti were found with the ZIKV genome, one of which had only one male. This finding supports the occurrence of vertical and/or venereal transmission of ZIKV in Ae. aegypti in nature. None of the examined Ae. albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus was positive. This is the first report of natural infection by ZIKV in mosquitoes in Brazil and other South American countries. So far, Ae. aegypti is the only confirmed vector of ZIKV during the ongoing Pan-American epidemics. PMID:27706382

Reference Values for the 6-min Walk Distance in Healthy Children Age 7 to 12 Years in Brazil: Main Results of the TC6minBrasil Multi-Center Study.

PubMed

de Assis Pereira Cacau, Lucas; Carvalho, Vitor Oliveira; Dos Santos Pin, Alessandro; Araujo Daniel, Carlos Raphael; Ykeda, Daisy Satomi; de Carvalho, Eliane Maria; Francica, Juliana Valente; Faria, Luíza Martins; Gomes-Neto, Mansueto; Fernandes, Marcelo; Velloso, Marcelo; Karsten, Marlus; de Sá Barros, Patrícia; de Santana-Filho, Valter Joviniano

2018-03-01

Brazil is a country with great climatic, socioeconomic, and cultural differences that does not yet have a reference value for the 6-min walk test (6MWT) in healthy children. To avoid misinterpretation, the use of equations to predict the maximum walk distance should be established in each country. We sought to establish reference values and to develop an equation to predict the 6-min walk distance for healthy children in Brazil. This is a cross-sectional multi-center study that included 1,496 healthy children, aged 7 to 12 y, assessed across 11 research sites in all regions of Brazil, and recruited from public and private schools in their respective regions. Each child was assessed for weight and height. Walk distance was our main outcome. An open-source software environment for statistical computing was used for statistical analysis. We observed a higher average distance walked by boys (531.1 m) than by girls (506.2 m), with a difference of 24.9 m ( P < .001). We established 6MWT reference values for boys with the following equation: Distance = (16.86 × age) + (1.89 × Δ heart rate) - (0.80 × weight) + (336.91 × R1) + (360.91 × R2). For girls the equation is as follows: Distance = (13.54 × age) + (1.62 × Δ heart rate) - (1.28 × weight) + (352.33 × R1) + (394.81 × R2). Reference values were established for the 6MWT in healthy children aged 7-12 y in Brazil. Copyright © 2018 by Daedalus Enterprises.

Prevalence of chronic kidney disease in a population in southern Brazil (Pro-Renal Study).

PubMed

Piccolli, Ana Paula; Nascimento, Marcelo Mazza do; Riella, Miguel Carlos

2017-01-01

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects 10-12% of the adult population in many countries. In Brazil, there is no reliable information about the actual prevalence of CKD. To determine the prevalence of CKD by estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and proteinuria/albuminuria in an urban population randomly selected in Southern Brazil. Patients and. 5,216 individuals were randomly selected out of a pool of 10,000 individuals identified from the database of a local energy company. The screening consisted of collection of demographic data, history of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, kidney/cardiovascular disease in the family and obesity through the body mass index - BMI (CKD risk factors). Blood samples were collected for determination of serum creatinine and subsequent eGFR estimation by the MDRD formula and urine samples for determination of albuminuria by dipstick. Albuminuria was further evaluated by HemoCue© in a selected CKD risk group. The population was predominantly Caucasians (93%), 64% were females and the mean age of participants was 45 years old (18-87). BMI (kg/m2) was 27±5. Albuminuria was found in 5.25% of individuals. 88.6% of this population had no CKD (eGFR > 60 ml/min/1.73m2 & normoalbuminuria) and 11.4% were identified as having CKD, with majority on stages 3A (7.2%) and 3B (1.1%). Hypertension, diabetes, older age and obesity was associated with a higher prevalence of CKD (p < 0.001). The prevalence of CKD in an urban population in southern Brazil mirrors other developed countries and indicates that kidney disease is an important public health problem in Brazil.

Distribution of Blastocystis subtypes isolated from humans from an urban community in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

PubMed

Valença Barbosa, Carolina; de Jesus Batista, Rosemary; Pereira Igreja, Ricardo; d'Avila Levy, Claudia Masini; Werneck de Macedo, Heloisa; Carneiro Santos, Helena Lúcia

2017-10-25

Blastocystis is a cosmopolitan protist parasite found in the human gastrointestinal tract and is highly prevalent in developing countries. Recent molecular studies have revealed extensive genetic diversity, which has been classified into different subtypes (STs) based on sequence analysis of small subunit ribosomal RNA gene. Blastocystis is one of the most common fecal parasites in Brazil, but the diversity of subtypes remains unknown in the country. This study aimed to determine the distribution of Blastocystis STs in an urban community in Duque de Caxias, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A total of 64 stool samples positive for Blastocystis in Pavlova's medium were subtyped by PCR and sequenced using primers targeting the small subunit rRNA gene, in addition to phylogenetic analysis and subtype-specific PCR using sequence-tagged-site (STS) primers. Endolimax nana (14%), Entamoeba complex (10.5%), Taenia sp. (0.6%), Trichuris trichiura (1.3%) and Enterobius vermicularis (1.3%) were detected in Blastocystis-positive samples. Of the 64 samples tested by PCR/DNA sequencing, 55 were identified as ST1 (42%), ST3 (49%), ST2 (7%) and ST4 (2%), and the presence of mixed ST (ST1 + ST3) infection was detected in nine samples (14%). DNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of Brazilian Blastocystis isolates identified four different subtypes. To our knowledge, this study provided the first genetic characterization of Blastocystis subtypes in an urban area of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We also identified ST4 for the first time in Brazil. Further studies are necessary to determine the distribution of STs across human populations in Rio de Janeiro.

Fuel alcohol: some economic complexities in Brazil and in the United States. Energy in developing countries series: Discussion Paper D-73G. [Monograph

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Islam, S.; Ramsay, W.

1982-01-01

Two related papers (one by each author) examine some of the problems and point out some complexities that must be taken into account in evaluating the alcohol option. Islam notes particularly Brazil's dilemma in relinquishing its domination of world sugar markets in favor of fuel-alcohol programs that will offer more resilience to future oil shocks. Ramsay stresses the practicability of alcohol for fuel import replacement compared to other synthetic fuels; he prefers the alcohol-from-grain option, especially when considered within the context of government incentives and availability of idle land. 24 references. (DCK)

Reemergence of mumps in São Paulo, Brazil - the urgent need for booster shot campaign to prevent a serious infectious disease.

PubMed

Urbano, Paulo Roberto; Fujita, Dennis Minoru; Romano, Camila Malta

2017-01-01

Neglected infectious diseases like mumps may be opportunistic in controlled areas with low vaccine coverage, particularly in developed and emerging countries. A retrospective analysis of mumps-related data from 2001 to 2016 for São Paulo State, Brazil was conducted. From 2014 to 2015, there was an increase of 82% in reported mumps cases in São Paulo, with prevalence of n=49 and 297, respectively in young adults aged 15-29 years. A booster-shot campaign on MMR vaccination is recommended to prevent the spread of mumps in unvaccinated children and recipients of only the first dose.

Cost-effective solutions for sewage treatment in developing countries--the case of Brazil.

PubMed

Jordão, E P; Volschan, I

2004-01-01

Cost-effective solutions are a must in developing countries, not only regarding investment costs, but also in respect to technology and operating practices. With these two goals in mind, in Brazil a particular effort has been directed for the development and application of the Chemical Enhanced Primary Treatment (CEPT) process and of the Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) process, both followed by complementary secondary treatment. Both technologies are under current expansion in Brazil. Large CEPT plants have been designed and built, up to 3.7 m3/s average design flow, as well as large UASB reactors, up to 3.0 m3/s average design flow. The applied technologies are cost-effective: they present low investment and efficiencies of BOD removal of up to 50% to 70%. They allow the plant construction in steps, an initial phase with efficiency over the usual primary treatment, and in order to achieve best effluent quality and meet legal water quality standards, a logic upgrade post-treatment can later on be implemented. The higher initial reduction of BOD and TSS also permits savings in construction and operational costs of secondary treatment, due to lower organic load and lower energy consumption. Sludge represents a particular point of attention: in the cases when the CEPT was used, Chemical Stabilisation of the Sludge (CSS) has also been practiced, eliminating the high construction costs of the digesters, all the plant staying chemically operated. In the cases when the UASB is used preceding secondary treatment, sludge can easily return to the anaerobic vessel, the costly sludge digestion unit being avoided. UASB reactors have practically no equipment in the anaerobic vessel, no energy consumption, low sludge production, and when applied in hot climates as in Brazil, heating devices are not required. The Brazilian experience, some particular cases, special comments on design and different secondary treatment processes are presented in this paper, as a contribution to the discussion of cost and benefits, a prime point to be considered.

Smoking or health: the Brazilian option.

PubMed

Lokschin, F; Barros, F C

1984-01-01

Tobacco plays a key role in both disease and the economy in Brazil. In 1981 about 135 billion cigarettes were smoked, and cigarette-related diseases far outnumber infections as the leading cause of death. Brazil is the 4th largest world producer and the 2nd largest exporter of tobacco. 2.1% of the total population -- 2.5 million people -- are maintained by tobacco-related activities. Cigarette sales taxes provide 11.6% of the country's total taxes. Involved in a deep economic crisis, Brazil depends on this revenue and has not introduced any measures to control or counteract the high pressure marketing of cigarette manufacturers. Ischemic heart disease is the leading cause of death in Brazil, taking 90,000 lives in 1979. Based on World Health Organization estimates, at least 25% of these deaths could be ascribed to smoking. Cancer is the 2nd largest cause of death. In 1979, 10% of 60,000 cancer deaths were from lung cancer. Based on estimate that 30% of cancer deaths are provoked by smoking, more than 20,000 of those deaths were caused by tobacco. In Brazil, lung cancer is the 2nd highest cause of death from cancer in men and 3rd among women. Smoking in Brazil is definitely associated with low birth weight, the single most important predictive factor of perinatal and infant mortality. Rural workers giving up subsistence crops to grow tobacco may also affect their children's health. Also in such low-income populations, expenditures for cigarettes leave less money for essential goods. As a result of the high tax rate and the enormous number of cigarettes sold, 11.6% of all the country's revenue comes from the tobacco industry. The Brazilian Association of Tobacco Industries has been trying to link cigarette sales to Brazilian social development but does not mention the cost of disease, disability, and early death provoked by smoking. In Brazil tobacco companies have a huge market free of constraints, and the country lacks consistent smoking control policies. Recently some Brazilian medical associations have urged the government to take stronger measures, but physicians remain reluctant to speak out. Specific legislation regulating cigarette sales and advertisements is needed. The 1st task is convincing politicians and other policymakers that aiding and abetting the cigarette companies is, in the long run, bad for the economy. Medical institutions are in a key position to pressure the government and the tobacco industry.

Energy profile of Brazil. [New mining must earn income to finance energy projects necessary for development of mines and processing plants

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1976-09-01

Energy is a key element in the country's development; energy for industry, mining and mineral processing, transport, and the affluent society of the industrial southeast. Brazil's great strength is in water power and here lies a dilemma: most of the remaining hydroelectric potential is in the wrong place far from the major load centers. There is coal in the south, of relatively poor quality and worked on a scale far short of that of hydroelectric energy supply. The search for oil off the coast has not fulfilled the promise of early discoveries; and the extent of uranium reserves as amore » whole has yet to be determined. Brazil has extensive deposits of such important industrial raw materials as iron ore, bauxite, and manganese. With primary energy demand doubling every ten years, researchers are investigating the possibility of utilizing Brazil's tropical climate to grow crops specifically for fuel or converting them into charcoal or liquid fuels. The first nuclear plant in Brazil will not be in operation until late 1978 -- a600-MWe Westinghouse PWR at Angra dos Reis. Hydro energy represented 92 percent of total electricity supply in 1975. Nuclear was adopted as a back-up to provide a thermal component; presently, it is cheaper than other fossil-fueled base load capacity. The specific subjects described in detail are the construction of the world's largest power plant at Itaipu; power transmission into Sao Paulo; the buildup of Brazil's industrial capacity; the Amazon dilemma dealing with its almost insurmountable development; and the expanding power center at Paulo Afonso. (MCW)« less

Corporate social responsibility to improve access to medicines: the case of Brazil.

PubMed

Thorsteinsdóttir, Halla; Ovtcharenko, Natasha; Kohler, Jillian Clare

2017-02-21

Access to medicines and the development of a strong national pharmaceutical industry are two longstanding pillars of health policy in Brazil. This is reflected in a clear emphasis by Brazil's Federal Government on improving access to medicine in national health plans and industrial policies aimed at promoting domestic pharmaceutical development. This research proposes that such policies may act as incentives for companies to pursue a strategic Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) agenda. CSR that supports Governmental priorities could help companies to benefit significantly from the Governmental industrial policy. We sought to determine whether CSR activities of Brazilian pharmaceutical firms are currently aligned with the Federal Government's health prioritization. To do so we examined key Brazilian health related policies since 2004, including the specific priorities of Brazil's 2012-2015 Health Plan, and compared these with CSR initiatives that are reported on the websites of select pharmaceutical firms in Brazil. Brazil's national health plans and industrial policies demonstrated that the Federal Government has followed diverse approaches for improving access to medicines, including strengthening health care infrastructure, increasing transparency, and supporting product development partnerships. Case studies of six pharmaceutical firms, representing both public and private companies of varying size, support the perspective that CSR is a priority for firms. However, while many programs target issues such as health infrastructure, health care training, and drug donation, more programs focus on areas other than health and do not seem to be connected to Governmental prioritization. This research suggests that there are loose connections between Governmental priorities and pharmaceutical firm CSR. However, there remains a significant opportunity for greater alignment, which could improve access to medicines in the country and foster a stronger relationship between the Government and industry.

Brazilian science communication research: national and international contributions.

PubMed

Barata, Germana; Caldas, Graça; Gascoigne, Toss

2017-08-31

Science communication has emerged as a new field over the last 50 years, and its progress has been marked by a rise in jobs, training courses, research, associations, conferences and publications. This paper describes science communication internationally and the trends and challenges it faces, before looking at the national level. We have documented science communication activities in Brazil, the training courses, research, financial support and associations/societies. By analyzing the publication of papers, dissertations and theses we have tracked the growth of this field, and compared the level of activity in Brazil with other countries. Brazil has boosted its national research publications since 2002, with a bigger contribution from postgraduate programs in education and communication, but compared to its national research activity Brazil has only a small international presence in science communication. The language barrier, the tradition of publishing in national journals and the solid roots in education are some of the reasons for that. Brazil could improve its international participation, first by considering collaborations within Latin America. International publication is dominated by the USA and the UK. There is a need to take science communication to the next level by developing more sophisticated tools for conceptualizing and analyzing science communication, and Brazil can be part of that.

Paradigms of public policies for licit and illicit drugs in Brazil.

PubMed

Gigliotti, Analice; Ribeiro, Marcelo; Tapia Aguilera, Amarílis; Rezende, Elton; Ogata Perrenoud, Luciane

2014-01-01

Brazil is a country of continental dimensions that, over the last 3 decades, has been making increased efforts to develop effective public policies for controlling the use of both licit and illicit psychoactive substances. In the case of licit drugs, Brazil was a pioneer in following the guidance of the World Health Organization for tobacco control and has witnessed surprising results relating to reduction of smoking prevalence and correlated morbidity and mortality. Today, Brazil has a national structure for organizing, applying, and monitoring laws relating to tobacco. However, in the field of illicit drugs, with crack consumption as a paradigm, the situation is the opposite: its use has been increasing year by year and is being consumed at increasingly young ages and by all social classes. Thus, it is becoming an enormous challenge for public policies relating to prevention and treatment. In this context, the aim of this article is to present a review of the epidemiological data relating to tobacco and crack use in Brazil, with an analysis on the impact of public policies for controlling consumption over recent years. Despite the efforts made over the last 3 decades, Brazil still has a long way to go in order to construct a consistent and effective national drugs policy.

Inpatient care of the elderly in Brazil and India: assessing social inequalities.

PubMed

Channon, Andrew Amos; Andrade, Monica Viegas; Noronha, Kenya; Leone, Tiziana; Dilip, T R

2012-12-01

The rapidly growing older adult populations in Brazil and India present major challenges for health systems in these countries, especially with regard to the equitable provision of inpatient care. The objective of this study was to contrast inequalities in both the receipt of inpatient care and the length of time that care was received among adults aged over 60 in two large countries with different modes of health service delivery. Using the Brazilian National Household Survey from 2003 and the Indian National Sample Survey Organisation survey from 2004 inequalities by wealth (measured by income in Brazil and consumption in India) were assessed using concentration curves and indices. Inequalities were also examined through the use of zero-truncated negative binomial models, studying differences in receipt of care and length of stay by region, health insurance, education and reported health status. Results indicated that there was no evidence of inequality in Brazil for both receipt and length of stay by income per capita. However, in India there was a pro-rich bias in the receipt of care, although once care was received there was no difference by consumption per capita for the length of stay. In both countries the higher educated and those with health insurance were more likely to receive care, while the higher educated had longer stays in hospital in Brazil. The health system reforms that have been undertaken in Brazil could be credited as a driver for reducing healthcare inequalities amongst the elderly, while the significant differences by wealth in India shows that reform is still needed to ensure the poor have access to inpatient care. Health reforms that move towards a more public funding model of service delivery in India may reduce inequality in elderly inpatient care in the country. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Energy profiles of selected Latin American and Caribbean countries. Report series No. 2

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wu, K.

1994-07-01

Countries in this report include Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela. These ten countries are the most important oil and gas producers in the Latin American and the Caribbean region. In the following sections, the primary energy supply (oil, gas, coal, hydroelectricity, and nuclear power whenever they are applicable), primary energy consumption, downstream oil sector development, gas utilization are discussed for each of the ten countries. The report also presents our latest forecasts of petroleum product consumption in each country toward 2000, which form the basis of the outlook for regional energy productionmore » and consumption outlined in Report No 1. Since the bulk of primary energy supply and demand is hydrocarbons for many countries, brief descriptions of the important hydrocarbons policy issues are provided at the end of the each country sections.« less

Cross-National Analysis of Beliefs and Attitude Toward Mental Illness Among Medical Professionals From Five Countries.

PubMed

Stefanovics, Elina; He, Hongbo; Ofori-Atta, Angela; Cavalcanti, Maria Tavares; Rocha Neto, Helio; Makanjuola, Victor; Ighodaro, Adesuwa; Leddy, Meaghan; Rosenheck, Robert

2016-03-01

This quantitative study sought to compare beliefs about the manifestation, causes and treatment of mental illness and attitudes toward people with mental illness among health professionals from five countries: the United States, Brazil, Ghana, Nigeria, and China. A total of 902 health professionals from the five countries were surveyed using a questionnaire addressing attitudes towards people with mental illness and beliefs about the causes of mental illness. Chi-square and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) were used to compare age and gender of the samples. Confirmatory factor analysis was employed to confirm the structure and fit of the hypothesized model based on data from a previous study that identified four factors: socializing with people with mental illness (socializing), belief that people with mental illness should have normal roles in society (normalizing), non-belief in supernatural causes (witchcraft or curses), and belief in bio-psycho-social causes of mental illness (bio-psycho-social). Analysis of Covariance was used to compare four factor scores across countries adjusting for differences in age and gender. Scores on all four factors were highest among U.S. professionals. The Chinese sample showed lowest score on socializing and normalizing while the Nigerian and Ghanaian samples were lowest on non-belief in supernatural causes of mental illness. Responses from Brazil fell between those of the U.S. and the other countries. Although based on convenience samples of health professional robust differences in attitudes among health professionals between these five countries appear to reflect underlying socio-cultural differences affecting attitudes of professionals with the greater evidence of stigmatized attitudes in developing countries.

Trends in research involving human beings in Brazil.

PubMed

Silva, Ricardo Eccard da; Novaes, Maria Rita Carvalho; Pastor, Elza Martínez; Barragan, Elena; Amato, Angélica Amorim

2015-02-01

Developing countries have experienced a dramatic increase in the number of clinical studies in the last decades. The aim of this study was to describe 1) the number of clinical trials submitted to the Brazilian Health Surveillance Agency (Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária, Anvisa) from 2007 to 2012 and the number of human-subject research projects approved by research ethics committees (RECs) and the National Research Ethics Committee (Comissão Nacional de Ética em Pesquisa, CONEP) in Brazil from 2007 to 2011 and 2) the diseases most frequently studied in Brazilian states in clinical trials approved in the country from 2009 to 2012, based on information from an Anvisa databank. Two databases were used: 1) the National Information System on Research Ethics Involving Human Beings (Sistema Nacional de Informação Sobre Ética em Pesquisa envolvendo Seres Humanos, SISNEP) and 2) Anvisa's Clinical Research Control System (Sistema de Controle de Pesquisa Clínica, SCPC). Data from the SCPC indicated an increase of 32.7% in the number of clinical trials submitted to Anvisa, and data from the SISNEP showed an increase of 69.9% in those approved by RECs and CONEP (from 18 160 in 2007 to 30 860 in 2011). Type 2 diabetes (26.0%) and breast cancer (20.5%)-related to the main causes of mortality in Brazil-were the two most frequently studied diseases. The so-called “neglected diseases,” such as dengue fever, were among the least studied diseases in approved clinical trials, despite their significant impact on social, economic, and health indicators in Brazil. Overall, the data indicated 1) a clear trend toward more research involving human beings in Brazil, 2) good correspondence between diseases most studied in clinical trials approved by Anvisa and the main causes of death in Brazil, and 3) a low level of attention to neglected diseases, an issue that should be considered in setting future research priorities, given their socioeconomic and health effects.

Hydro development in Costa Rica

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Young, C.F.

The initial foreign thrust of private power activities was quite naturally by large companies acquiring existing government-owned facilities in relatively large countries. Only recently, it seems, people have discovered that there are countries in Latin America other than Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico, and that there is interest in having the private sector construct new (and often smaller) facilities, with an increasing emphasis on renewable energy. Costa Rica passed its private power law in 1991 and has clearly been the most progressive country in Central America in promoting greenfield development of private power projects. The country has not been exempt, however,more » from the cyclical nature of the support that governments, utilities and regulatory agencies give to private power producers. The initial enthusiasm and willingness to encourage private power producers inevitably give way to requirements and procedures which impair if not thwart the initial intentions of the private power laws.« less

Case studies in international tobacco surveillance: cigarette smuggling in Brazil

PubMed Central

Shafey, O; Cokkinides, V; Cavalcante, T; Teixeira, M; Vianna, C; Thun, M

2002-01-01

Objective: This article is the first in a series of international case studies developed by the American Cancer Society to illustrate use of publicly available surveillance data for regional tobacco control. Design: A descriptive analysis of Brazil and Paraguay cigarette production and trade data from official sources. Methods: Per capita cigarette consumption for Brazil and its neighbour was calculated from 1970 to 1998 using data on production, imports, and exports from NATIONS, the National Tobacco Information Online System. Results: A 63% decrease was observed in the estimate of per capita consumption of cigarettes in Brazil between 1986 and 1998 (from 1913 cigarettes per person in 1986 to 714 cigarettes per person in 1998) and a 16-fold increase in Paraguay was observed during the same period (from 678 cigarettes per person in 1986 to 10 929 cigarettes per person in 1998). Following Brazil's 1999 passage of a 150% cigarette export tax, cigarette exports fell 89% and Brazil's estimated per capita consumption rose to 1990 levels (based on preliminary data). Per capita consumption in Paraguay also fell to 1990 levels. Conclusions: These trends coincide with local evidence that large volumes of cigarettes manufactured in Brazil for export to Paraguay are smuggled back and consumed as tax-free contraband in Brazil. It is hoped that this case study will draw wider public attention to the problems that smuggling presents for tobacco control, help identify other countries confronting similar issues, and stimulate effective interventions. PMID:12198271

Synthesis of national reports for Rio+20

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

2013-01-15

In the lead up to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), which took place in Brazil in June 2012, there were numerous efforts in countries around the world to help governments, civil society organizations and individuals prepare for the event. One of the more significant efforts led by UNDP in collaboration with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) was a support programme to 72 countries across all regions to build a consensus on national views around the themes and objectives of the Rio+20 Conference. This report highlights significant advances in sustainable development frommore » almost 60 country reports and underscores the challenges and bottlenecks to moving beyond the economic-led growth strategies of the past 20 years.« less

'BRICS without straw'? A systematic literature review of newly emerging economies' influence in global health.

PubMed

Harmer, Andrew; Xiao, Yina; Missoni, Eduardo; Tediosi, Fabrizio

2013-04-15

Since 2010, five newly emerging economies collectively known as 'BRICS' (Brazil, India, Russia, China and South Africa) have caught the imagination, and scholarly attention, of political scientists, economists and development specialists. The prospect of a unified geopolitical bloc, consciously seeking to re-frame international (and global) health development with a new set of ideas and values, has also, if belatedly, begun to attract the attention of the global health community. But what influence, if any, do the BRICS wield in global health, and, if they do wield influence, how has that influence been conceptualized and recorded in the literature? We conducted a systematic literature review in (March-December 2012) of documents retrieved from the databases EMBASE, PubMed/Medline, Global Health, and Google Scholar, and the websites of relevant international organisations, research institutions and philanthropic organisations. The results were synthesised using a framework of influence developed for the review from the political science literature. Our initial search of databases and websites yielded 887 documents. Exclusion criteria narrowed the number of documents to 71 journal articles and 23 reports. Two researchers using an agreed set of inclusion criteria independently screened the 94 documents, leaving just 7 documents. We found just one document that provided sustained analysis of the BRICS' collective influence; the overwhelming tendency was to describe individual BRICS countries influence. Although influence was predominantly framed by BRICS countries' material capability, there were examples of institutional and ideational influence - particularly from Brazil. Individual BRICS countries were primarily 'opportunity seekers' and region mobilisers but with potential to become 'issue leaders' and region organisers. Though small in number, the written output on BRICS influence in global health has increased significantly since a similar review conducted in 2010 found just one study. Whilst it may still be 'early days' for newly-emerging economies influence in global health to have matured, we argue that there is scope to further develop the concept of influence in global health, but also to better understand the ontology of groups of countries such as BRICS. The BRICS have made a number of important commitments towards reforming global health, but if they are to be more than a memorable acronym they need to start putting those collective commitments into action. Keywords BRICS, global health, influence, newly emerging economies, Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa.

Illicit Cigarette Trade in Five South American Countries: A Gap Analysis for Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Peru.

PubMed

Paraje, Guillermo

2018-05-15

Due to its nature, it is very hard to measure tobacco illicit trade in any product. In the case of Latin American countries, there is scant information on the magnitude and characteristics of this trade in the case of cigarettes. The goal of this article is to provide estimates on the evolution of the illicit cigarette trade in five South American countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Peru. Gap analysis estimates for cigarette tax evasion/avoidance (a comparison on the evolution of the difference between registered cigarette sales and measured population consumption) is developed for Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Peru. Nationally representative surveys, conducted regularly, are used to measure population consumption. Confidence intervals constructed by bootstrapping sample estimates are generated in order to statistically evaluate the evolution of the gap. Cigarette illicit trade has increased as a percentage of total sales in Brazil in recent years. In the case of Argentina, after a relative decrease between 2005 and 2009 it seems to have stabilized. There is no statistical evidence to argue that there has been an increase of cigarette illicit trade in Chile, Colombia and Peru, despite substantial price increases in Chile and tax increase in both Colombia and Peru. Using simple statistical methods, it is possible to assess the trend in tobacco illicit trend over time to better inform policy-makers. Getting reliable and regular population consumption surveys can also help to track tobacco illicit trade. Claims by tobacco industry of a positive association between price/tax changes and illicit trade are unsubstantiated. Evolution of cigarette illicit trade in five Latin American countries show different trajectories, not in line with tobacco industry estimates, which highlight the importance of producing solid, independent estimates. There are inexpensive methodologies that can provide estimates of the evolution of the relative importance of illicit trade and can be used to inform policy-makers. Claims by tobacco industry of a positive association between price/tax changes and illicit trade are unsubstantiated.

A travel misadventure--visceral leishmaniasis in an immunocompetent patient.

PubMed

Delacour, H; Roche, C; Roche, B; Morand, C; Koeck, J L

2010-09-01

Visceral leishmaniasis is one of the world's most neglected diseases. Over 90% of the 500,000 annual new cases occur in only five countries: India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sudan and North-Eastern Brazil, but the disease remains endemic in Southern Europe. We report a case of visceral leishmaniasis in an immunocompetent serviceman after a seven-day stay in the Marseilles region of South-Eastern France. This case is intended to alert clinicians to the possibility of visceral leishmaniasis in patients who develop a febrile illness after returning from travel in Southern European countries.

When to Adapt Materials and When to Initiate Fresh Instructional Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rojas, Alicia M.

A study was conducted to examine the procedures and requirements of a formative evaluation when it is carried out for instructional materials that have been designed for a U.S. target audience, but which also have potential use by a population of another country, e.g., Brazil. The study concentrated on determining whether different formative…

Implementation of Reach Up early childhood parenting program: acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility in Brazil and Zimbabwe.

PubMed

Smith, Joanne A; Baker-Henningham, Helen; Brentani, Alexandra; Mugweni, Rose; Walker, Susan P

2018-05-01

Young children need nurturing care, which includes responsive caregiver-child interactions and opportunities to learn. However, there are few extant large-scale programs that build parents' abilities to provide this. We have developed an early childhood parenting training package, called Reach Up, with the aim of providing an evidence-based, adaptable program that is feasible for low-resource settings. Implementation of Reach Up was evaluated in Brazil and Zimbabwe to inform modifications needed and identify challenges that implementers and delivery agents encountered. Interview guides were developed to collect information on the program's appropriateness, acceptability, and feasibility from mothers, home visitors, and supervisors. Information on adaptation was obtained from country program leads and Reach Up team logs, as well as quality of visits from observations conducted by supervisors. The program was well accepted by mothers and visitors, who perceived benefits for the children; training was viewed as appropriate, and visitors felt well-prepared to conduct visits. A need for expansion of supervisor training was identified and the program was feasible to implement, although challenges were identified, including staff turnover; implementation was less feasible for staff with other work commitments (in Brazil). However, most aspects of visit quality were high. We conclude that the Reach Up program can expand capacity for parenting programs in low- and middle-income countries. © 2018 The Authors. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of New York Academy of Sciences.

Brazil-Portugal Transcultural Adaptation of the UWES-9: Internal Consistency, Dimensionality, and Measurement Invariance

PubMed Central

Sinval, Jorge; Pasian, Sonia; Queirós, Cristina; Marôco, João

2018-01-01

The aim of this paper is to present a revision of international versions of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale and to describe the psychometric properties of a Portuguese version of the UWES-9 developed simultaneously for Brazil and Portugal, the validity evidence related with the internal structure, namely, Dimensionality, measurement invariance between Brazil and Portugal, and Reliability of the scores. This is the first UWES version developed simultaneously for both countries, and it is an important instrument for understanding employees' work engagement in the organizations, allowing human resources departments to better use workforces, especially when they are migrants. A total of 524 Brazilian workers and 522 Portuguese workers participated in the study. Confirmatory Factor Analysis, group comparisons, and Reliability estimates were used. The use of workers who were primarily professionals or administrative support, according to ISCO-08, reinforced the need to collect data on other professional occupations. Confirmatory factor analysis showed acceptable fit for the UWES-9 original three-factor solution, and a second-order factor structure has been proposed that presented an acceptable fit. Full-scale invariance was obtained between the Portuguese and Brazilian samples, both for the original three-factor first-order and second-order models. Data revealed that Portuguese and Brazilian workers didn't show statistically significant differences in the work engagement dimensions. This version allows for direct comparisons of means and, consequently, for performance of comparative and cross-cultural studies between these two countries. PMID:29618995

CSM in Latin America: new developments.

PubMed

1986-01-01

SOMARC is currently providing support to contraceptive social marketing efforts in Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay. The distinctly different family planning climates in these 3 countries have provided SOMARC with an opportunity to practice programmatic flexibility in project strategy and design. In Bolivia, the SOMARC strategy for implementing contraceptive social marketing is primarily a private sector venture in which donated products will be imported by local distributors and sold through the traditional channels. Distribution services through a network of local private family planning groups will provide SOMARC with direct access to Bolivian trade unions and work organizations. These family planning groups will in turn be strengthened by their association with the social marketing program as a potential source of revenue. In Brazil, where many low-priced contraceptives are already on the market, SOMARC's role will be in the areas of communication and promotion to increase contraceptive prevalence. The first task will be to identify target areas where there is a combination of low prevalence and an existing market infrastructure. A Brazil Contraceptive Social Marketing Program Advisory Council has been formed to provide a consolidated approach to family planning activities. Efforts toward developing a contraceptive social marketing program in Paraguay remain at an exploratory level. The introduction of social marketing in Paraguay is complicated by the existence of a pervasive contraband system. Although consumer awareness of contraception is high, the contraceptive prevalence rate is low. Efforts in all 3 countries reflect SOMAR's strategy of broadening the scope of project alternatives to meet the special needs of each nation.

A different rhythm of life: sleep patterns in the first 4 years of life and associated sociodemographic characteristics in a large Brazilian birth cohort.

PubMed

Netsi, Elena; Santos, Ina S; Stein, Alan; Barros, Fernando C; Barros, Aluísio J D; Matijasevich, Alicia

2017-09-01

Sleep is an important marker of healthy development and has been associated with emotional, behavioral, and cognitive development. There is limited longitudinal data on children's sleep with only a few reports from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We investigate sleep parameters and associated sociodemographic characteristics in a population-based longitudinal study in Pelotas, Brazil. Data from the Pelotas 2004 Birth Cohort were used (N = 3842). Infant sleep was collected through maternal report at 3, 12, 24, and 48 months: sleep duration, bed and wake time, nighttime awakenings, co-sleeping and sleep disturbances (24 and 48 months). Compared to children in high-income countries (HICs), children in Brazil showed a substantial shift in rhythms with later bed and wake times by approximately 2 hours. These remain stable throughout the first 4 years of life. This population also shows high levels of co-sleeping which remain stable throughout (49.0-52.2%). Later bedtime was associated with higher maternal education and family income. Higher rates of co-sleeping were seen in families with lower income and maternal education and for children who were breastfed. All other sleep parameters were broadly similar to data previously reported from HICs. The shift in biological rhythms in this representative community sample of children in Brazil challenges our understanding of optimal sleep routine and recommendations. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Policies for the Sustainable Development of Biofuels in the Pan American Region: A Review and Synthesis of Five Countries.

PubMed

Solomon, Barry D; Banerjee, Aparajita; Acevedo, Alberto; Halvorsen, Kathleen E; Eastmond, Amarella

2015-12-01

Rapid growth of biofuel production in the United States and Brazil over the past decade has increased interest in replicating this success in other nations of the Pan American region. However, the continued use of food-based feedstock such as maize is widely seen as unsustainable and is in some cases linked to deforestation and increased greenhouse gas emissions, raising further doubts about long-term sustainability. As a result, many nations are exploring the production and use of cellulosic feedstock, though progress has been extremely slow. In this paper, we will review the North-South axis of biofuel production in the Pan American region and its linkage with the agricultural sectors in five countries. Focus will be given to biofuel policy goals, their results to date, and consideration of sustainability criteria and certification of producers. Policy goals, results, and sustainability will be highlighted for the main biofuel policies that have been enacted at the national level. Geographic focus will be given to the two largest producers-the United States and Brazil; two smaller emerging producers-Argentina and Canada; and one stalled program-Mexico. However, several additional countries in the region are either producing or planning to produce biofuels. We will also review alternative international governance schemes for biofuel sustainability that have been recently developed, and whether the biofuel programs are being managed to achieve improved environmental quality and sustainable development.

The increase in domestic violence in Brazil from 2009-2014.

PubMed

Rodrigues, Nádia Cristina Pinheiro; O'Dwyer, Gisele; Andrade, Mônica Kramer de Noronha; Flynn, Matthew Brian; Monteiro, Denise Leite Maia; Lino, Valéria Teresa Saraiva

2017-09-01

In recent decades, the rise violent phenomena in Brazil has reached epidemic proportions. However, the prevalence of domestic violence (DV) across different states in the country is not well established. The objective of this study was to describe the distribution of DV across Brazilian states from 2009 to 2014. An ecological study based on spatial analysis techniques was performed using Brazilian states as geographical units of analysis. A multilevel Poisson model was used to explain the risk of DV in Brazil according to age, sex, period (fixed effects), the Human Developing Index, and the victim's residence state (random effects). The overall average rate of DV almost tripled from 2009-2010 to 2013-2014. The rate of DV in Brazil in the 2013-2014 period was 3.52 times greater than the 2009-2010 period. The risk of DV in men was 74% lower than in women. The increase of DV against women during period under study occurred mainly in the Southeast, South, and Midwest. DV was more frequent in adolescence and adulthood. DV is gradually increasing in recent years in Brazil. More legislation and government programs are needed to combat the growth of violence in society.

Biotechnology developments in the livestock sector in developing countries.

PubMed

Onteru, Suneel; Ampaire, Agatha; Rothschild, Max

2010-01-01

Global meat and milk consumption is exponentially increasing due to population growth, urbanization and changes in lifestyle in the developing world. This is an excellent opportunity for developing countries to improve the livestock sector by using technological advances. Biotechnology is one of the avenues for improved production in the "Livestock revolution". Biotechnology developments applied to livestock health, nutrition, breeding and reproduction are improving with a reasonable pace in developing countries. Simple bio-techniques such as artificial insemination have been well implemented in many parts of the developing world. However, advanced technologies including transgenic plant vaccines, marker assisted selection, solid state fermentation for the production of fibrolytic enzymes, transgenic fodders, embryo transfer and animal cloning are confined largely to research organizations. Some developing countries such as Taiwan, China and Brazil have considered the commercialization of biotechnology in the livestock sector. Organized livestock production systems, proper record management, capacity building, objective oriented research to improve farmer's income, collaborations with the developed world, knowledge of the sociology of an area and research on new methods to educate farmers and policy makers need to be improved for the creation and implementation of biotechnology advances in the livestock sector in the developing world.

Global health and transfusion medicine: education and training in developing countries.

PubMed

Eichbaum, Quentin; Shan, Hua; Goncalez, Thelma T; Duits, A J; Knox, Patricia; Reilly, Jim; Andrews, David

2014-07-01

Education and training in transfusion medicine have improved over the past decade in developing countries but are still generally deficient for the purpose of maintaining the safety of the global blood supply. In 2009, the World Health Organization global database on blood safety indicated that only 72% of countries in the world were able to meet their training needs necessary for maintaining the safety of their local blood supply. Educational approaches in transfusion medicine vary widely between continents and world regions. In this article, we summarize a session on global health education and training in developing countries that took place at the 2012 AABB conference. The panel consisted of transfusion representatives from South America (Brazil), Asia (China), Africa (South Africa), and the Caribbean (Curaçao), as well as a description of capacitation issues in postearthquake Haiti and the pivotal role of the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in transfusion training and education in Africa. We present here summaries of each of these panel presentations. © 2014 AABB.

Early Evidence for Zika Virus Circulation among Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

PubMed Central

Ayllón, Tania; Campos, Renata de Mendonça; Brasil, Patrícia; Morone, Fernanda Cristina; Câmara, Daniel Cardoso Portela; Meira, Guilherme Louzada Silva; Tannich, Egbert; Yamamoto, Kristie Aimi; Carvalho, Marilia Sá; Pedro, Renata Saraiva; Cadar, Daniel; Ferreira, Davis Fernandes; Honório, Nildimar Alves

2017-01-01

During 2014–2016, we conducted mosquito-based Zika virus surveillance in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Results suggest that Zika virus was probably introduced into the area during May–November 2013 via multiple in-country sources. Furthermore, our results strengthen the hypothesis that Zika virus in the Americas originated in Brazil during October 2012–May 2013. PMID:28628464

Small area estimation of obesity prevalence and dietary patterns: a model applied to Rio de Janeiro city, Brazil.

PubMed

Cataife, Guido

2014-03-01

We propose the use of previously developed small area estimation techniques to monitor obesity and dietary habits in developing countries and apply the model to Rio de Janeiro city. We estimate obesity prevalence rates at the Census Tract through a combinatorial optimization spatial microsimulation model that matches body mass index and socio-demographic data in Brazil's 2008-9 family expenditure survey with Census 2010 socio-demographic data. Obesity ranges from 8% to 25% in most areas and affects the poor almost as much as the rich. Male and female obesity rates are uncorrelated at the small area level. The model is an effective tool to understand the complexity of the problem and to aid in policy design. © 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Simulation of hybrid wind/solar systems for typical areas of Brazil and Cuba

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Villar Ale, J.A.; Garcia, F.H.

Brazil and Cuba share a common history of serious problems related to the electrification of their isolated communities. Both countries have renewable resources of energy that allow, for instance, the use of photovoltaic and wind systems. These systems can be used in an integrated way, known as hybrid systems, achieving better reliability and economy. This work presents a simplified methodology for the design of such systems to be applied to the electrification of rural areas in both countries.

Education, ethics, and solidarity in international cooperation.

PubMed

Castro, Janete Lima de; Vilar, Rosana Lucia Alves de; Germano, Raimunda Medeiros

2015-01-01

The article analyzes an experience in technical cooperation between Brazil and Andean countries in the form of the International Course in the Management of Human Resource Policies in Health. This exploratory documental study encompassed a number of Latin American countries whose institutions of higher education had partnerships with the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, mediated by the Pan American Health Organization Representation in Brazil. The course experience shows that fundamental values like ethics and solidarity are determinant to the success of technical cooperation processes.

Global elimination of leprosy by 2020: are we on track?

PubMed

Blok, David J; De Vlas, Sake J; Richardus, Jan Hendrik

2015-10-22

Every year more than 200,000 new leprosy cases are registered globally. This number has been fairly stable over the past 8 years. WHO has set a target to interrupt the transmission of leprosy globally by 2020. The aim of this study is to investigate whether this target, interpreted as global elimination, is feasible given the current control strategy. We focus on the three most important endemic countries, India, Brazil and Indonesia, which together account for more than 80 % of all newly registered leprosy cases. We used the existing individual-based model SIMCOLEP to predict future trends of leprosy incidence given the current control strategy in each country. SIMCOLEP simulates the spread of M. leprae in a population that is structured in households. Current control consists of passive and active case detection, and multidrug therapy (MDT). Predictions of leprosy incidence were made for each country as well as for one high-endemic region within each country: Chhattisgarh (India), Pará State (Brazil) and Madura (Indonesia). Data for model quantification came from: National Leprosy Elimination Program (India), SINAN database (Brazil), and Netherlands Leprosy Relief (Indonesia). Our projections of future leprosy incidence all show a downward trend. In 2020, the country-level leprosy incidence has decreased to 6.2, 6.1 and 3.3 per 100,000 in India, Brazil and Indonesia, respectively, meeting the elimination target of less than 10 per 100,000. However, elimination may not be achieved in time for the high-endemic regions. The leprosy incidence in 2020 is predicted to be 16.2, 21.1 and 19.3 per 100,000 in Chhattisgarh, Pará and Madura, respectively, and the target may only be achieved in another 5 to 10 years. Our predictions show that although country-level elimination is reached by 2020, leprosy is likely to remain a problem in the high-endemic regions (i.e. states, districts and provinces with multimillion populations), which account for most of the cases in a country.

Lung transplantation

PubMed Central

Afonso, José Eduardo; Werebe, Eduardo de Campos; Carraro, Rafael Medeiros; Teixeira, Ricardo Henrique de Oliveira Braga; Fernandes, Lucas Matos; Abdalla, Luis Gustavo; Samano, Marcos Naoyuki; Pêgo-Fernandes, Paulo Manuel

2015-01-01

ABSTRACT Lung transplantation is a globally accepted treatment for some advanced lung diseases, giving the recipients longer survival and better quality of life. Since the first transplant successfully performed in 1983, more than 40 thousand transplants have been performed worldwide. Of these, about seven hundred were in Brazil. However, survival of the transplant is less than desired, with a high mortality rate related to primary graft dysfunction, infection, and chronic graft dysfunction, particularly in the form of bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome. New technologies have been developed to improve the various stages of lung transplant. To increase the supply of lungs, ex vivo lung reconditioning has been used in some countries, including Brazil. For advanced life support in the perioperative period, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and hemodynamic support equipment have been used as a bridge to transplant in critically ill patients on the waiting list, and to keep patients alive until resolution of the primary dysfunction after graft transplant. There are patients requiring lung transplant in Brazil who do not even come to the point of being referred to a transplant center because there are only seven such centers active in the country. It is urgent to create new centers capable of performing lung transplantation to provide patients with some advanced forms of lung disease a chance to live longer and with better quality of life. PMID:26154550

[Empowerment of users and family members in mental health care and in evaluative/interventional research: a brief comparison between the Anglo-Saxon tradition and the Brazilian experience].

PubMed

Vasconcelos, Eduardo Mourão

2013-10-01

The scope of this article is to assess the main characteristics of the traditions and experiences of empowerment of users and family members in mental health treatment and services in Anglo-Saxon countries and in Brazil and the repercussions and strategies thereof in the field of evaluative and interventional research in mental health. Based on a brief bibliographical review of the literature, the aim is to compare how the empowerment tradition has developed in the two realities, based on the characteristics of the economic, political, social - and especially cultural - context. The review revealed how these contexts induce different perspectives on how to foster the autonomy and empowerment of users and family members in social policies and mental health, as well as their appropriation in the field of evaluative and interventional research. In Anglo-Saxon countries, this tradition has been vigorously promoted over the past four decades, and in Brazil the participative strategies emphasize mixed mechanisms - professionals, users and family members together - with the dominant presence of the professionals. The strategies in Brazil more directly designed for users and family members are recent and have been implemented from 2005 onwards.

EVALUATION OF CIRCUMSPOROZOITE PROTEIN OF Plasmodium vivax TO ESTIMATE ITS PREVALENCE IN OIAPOQUE , AMAPÁ STATE, BRAZIL, BORDERING FRENCH GUIANA.

PubMed

Gomes, Margarete do Socorro Mendonça; Vieira, José Luiz Fernandes; Cassiano, Gustavo Capatti; Musset, Lise; Legrand, Eric; Nacher, Mathieu; Couto, Vanja Suely Calvosa D'Almeida; Machado, Ricardo Luiz Dantas; Couto, Álvaro Augusto Ribeiro D'Almeida

2016-09-22

Malaria is a major health problem for people who live on the border between Brazil and French Guiana. Here we discuss Plasmodium vivax distribution pattern in the town of Oiapoque, Amapá State using the circumsporozoite (CS) gene as a marker. Ninety-one peripheral blood samples from P. vivax patients have been studied. Of these, 64 individuals were from the municipality of Oiapoque (Amapá State, Brazil) and 27 patients from French Guiana (August to December 2011). DNA extraction was performed, and a fragment of the P. vivax CS gene was subsequently analyzed using PCR/RFLP. The VK210 genotype was the most common in both countries (48.36% in Brazil and 14.28% in French Guiana), followed by the P. vivax-like (1.10% in both Brazil and French Guiana) and VK247 (1.10% only in Brazil) in single infections. We were able to detect all three CS genotypes simultaneously in mixed infections. There were no statistically significant differences either regarding infection site or parasitaemia among individuals with different genotypes. These results suggest that the same genotypes circulating in French Guiana are found in the municipality of Oiapoque in Brazil. These findings suggest that there may be a dispersion of parasitic populations occurring between the two countries. Most likely, this distribution is associated with prolonged and/or more complex transmission patterns of these genotypes in Brazil, bordering French Guiana.

Export-oriented deforestation in Mato Grosso: harbinger or exception for other tropical forests?

PubMed

DeFries, Ruth; Herold, Martin; Verchot, Louis; Macedo, Marcia N; Shimabukuro, Yosio

2013-06-05

The Brazilian state of Mato Grosso was a global deforestation hotspot in the early 2000s. Deforested land is used predominantly to produce meat for distal consumption either through cattle ranching or soya bean for livestock feed. Deforestation declined dramatically in the latter part of the decade through a combination of market forces, policies, enforcement and improved monitoring. This study assesses how representative the national-level drivers underlying Mato Grosso's export-oriented deforestation are in other tropical forest countries based on agricultural exports, commercial agriculture and urbanization. We also assess how pervasive the governance and technical monitoring capacity that enabled Mato Grosso's decline in deforestation is in other countries. We find that between 41 and 54 per cent of 2000-2005 deforestation in tropical forest countries (other than Brazil) occurred in countries with drivers similar to Brazil. Very few countries had national-level governance and capacity similar to Brazil. Results suggest that the ecological, hydrological and social consequences of land-use change for export-oriented agriculture as discussed in this Theme Issue were applicable in about one-third of all tropical forest countries in 2000-2005. However, the feasibility of replicating Mato Grosso's success with controlling deforestation is more limited. Production landscapes to support distal consumption similar to Mato Grosso are likely to become more prevalent and are unlikely to follow a land-use transition model with increasing forest cover.

Export-oriented deforestation in Mato Grosso: harbinger or exception for other tropical forests?

PubMed Central

DeFries, Ruth; Herold, Martin; Verchot, Louis; Macedo, Marcia N.; Shimabukuro, Yosio

2013-01-01

The Brazilian state of Mato Grosso was a global deforestation hotspot in the early 2000s. Deforested land is used predominantly to produce meat for distal consumption either through cattle ranching or soya bean for livestock feed. Deforestation declined dramatically in the latter part of the decade through a combination of market forces, policies, enforcement and improved monitoring. This study assesses how representative the national-level drivers underlying Mato Grosso's export-oriented deforestation are in other tropical forest countries based on agricultural exports, commercial agriculture and urbanization. We also assess how pervasive the governance and technical monitoring capacity that enabled Mato Grosso's decline in deforestation is in other countries. We find that between 41 and 54 per cent of 2000–2005 deforestation in tropical forest countries (other than Brazil) occurred in countries with drivers similar to Brazil. Very few countries had national-level governance and capacity similar to Brazil. Results suggest that the ecological, hydrological and social consequences of land-use change for export-oriented agriculture as discussed in this Theme Issue were applicable in about one-third of all tropical forest countries in 2000–2005. However, the feasibility of replicating Mato Grosso's success with controlling deforestation is more limited. Production landscapes to support distal consumption similar to Mato Grosso are likely to become more prevalent and are unlikely to follow a land-use transition model with increasing forest cover. PMID:23610176

Latin American astronomers and the International Astronomical Union

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torres-Peimbert, S.

2017-07-01

Selected aspects of the participation of the Latin American astronomers in the International Astronomical Union are presented: Membership, Governing bodies, IAU meetings, and other activities. The Union was founded in 1919 with 7 initial member states, soon to be followed by Brazil. In 1921 Mexico joined, and in 1928 Argentina also formed part of the Union, while Chile joined in 1947. In 1961 Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Venezuela were already member countries. At present (October 2016) 72 countries contribute financially to the Union. The Union lists 12,391 professional astronomers as individual members; of those, 692 astronomers work in Latin America and the Caribbean, from 13 member states (Argentina, Bolivia , Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Honduras, Mexico, Panamá, Perú, Uruguay and Venezuela) as well as from Ecuador and Puerto Rico. This group comprises 5.58% of the total membership, a figure somewhat lower than the fraction of the population in the region, which is 8.6% of the world population. Of the Latin American members, 23.4% are women and 76.6% are men; slightly higher than the whole membership of Union, which is of 16.9%. In the governing bodies it can be mentioned that there have been 2 Presidents of the Union (Jorge Sahade and Silvia Torres-Peimbert), 7 VicePresidents (Guillermo Haro, Jorge Sahade, Manuel Peimbert Claudio Anguita, Silvia Torres-Peimbert, Beatriz Barbuy, and Marta G. Rovira). The IAU meetings held in the region, include 2 General Assemblies (the 1991 XXI GA took place in Buenos Aires, Argentina and the 2009 XXVIII GA, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), 15 Regional Meetings (in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela and Uruguay), 29 Symposia (in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru and Mexico), 5 Colloquia (in Argentina and Mexico), 8 International Schools for Young Astronomers (in Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, Honduras and Mexico), and 11 projects sponsored by the Office of Astronomy for Development. In conclusion, the engagement of the Latin American astronomers with the Union has been fruitful and significant.

The hard choice for alternative biofuels to diesel in Brazil.

PubMed

Carioca, J O B; Hiluy Filho, J J; Leal, M R L V; Macambira, F S

2009-01-01

This paper selects biofuel scenarios to substitute diesel in Brazil based on oil reserves increase, diesel imports, CO(2) emissions, crops agronomic yields, byproducts marketing and social impacts. This hard task still considers that agricultural practices in developing countries have large social impacts. Brazil presents high consumption of diesel oil in transport; low agronomic yield of traditional vegetable oil crops, which demand large cultivation areas contrasting with microalgae and palm oils which present high productivity. Concerning technologies, thermal cracking and transesterification of vegetable oils present a difficult economic situation related to vegetable oils price, food competition and glycerin market; BTL technology, meaning thermal gasification of biomass to liquids, faces problems related to low density of biomaterials and low viscosity of synthetic biodiesel produced. Biorefinery algal integrated systems and co-solvent technology to introduce up to 8% of ethanol into diesel seem to be feasible routes to reduce diesel consumption.

Genetics against race: Science, politics and affirmative action in Brazil

PubMed Central

Kent, Michael; Wade, Peter

2015-01-01

This article analyses interrelations between genetic ancestry research, political conflict and social identity. It focuses on the debate on race-based affirmative action policies, which have been implemented in Brazil since the turn of the century. Genetic evidence of high levels of admixture in the Brazilian population has become a key element of arguments that question the validity of the category of race for the development of public policies. In response, members of Brazil’s black movement have dismissed the relevance of genetics by arguing, first, that in Brazil race functions as a social – rather than a biological – category, and, second, that racial classification and discrimination in this country are based on appearance, rather than on genotype. This article highlights the importance of power relations and political interests in shaping public engagements with genetic research and their social consequences. PMID:27479998

Towards an anthropometric history of latin America in the second half of the twentieth century.

PubMed

Challú, Amílcar E; Silva-Castañeda, Sergio

2016-12-01

We examine the evolution of adult female heights in twelve Latin American countries during the second half of the twentieth century based on demographic health surveys and related surveys compiled from national and international organizations. Only countries with more than one survey were included, allowing us to cross-examine surveys and correct for biases. We first show that average height varies significantly according to location, from 148.3cm in Guatemala to 158.8cm in Haiti. The evolution of heights over these decades behaves like indicators of human development, showing a steady increase of 2.6cm from the 1950s to the 1990s. Such gains compare favorably to other developing regions of the world, but not so much with recently developed countries. Height gains were not evenly distributed in the region, however. Countries that achieved higher levels of income, such as Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Mexico, gained on average 0.9cm per decade, while countries with shrinking economies, such as Haiti and Guatemala, only gained 0.25cm per decade. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Influence of Emerging Markets on the Pharmaceutical Industry.

PubMed

Tannoury, Maya; Attieh, Zouhair

2017-01-01

Emerging markets represent an exceptional opportunity for the pharmaceutical industry. Although a precise definition is not yet available, economists define emerging markets as developing prosperous countries in which investment is expected to result in higher income despite high risks. Qualifying a market as emerging is not merely based on the economic status of the country, but also on several criteria that render the definition applicable to each country. Jim O'Neil, retired chairman of asset management at Goldman Sachs, identified leading economies of emerging markets: Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRIC) and later Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) and then Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, and Turkey (MIST), which followed years later as the second tier of nations. Sales of the pharmaceutical markets in BRICS and MIST countries doubled in 5 years, reaching a market share of approximately 20%. The shift toward these new markets has been attributed to the large populations, growing prosperity, and increasing life expectancy in BRICS and MIST countries. In addition, companies are experiencing flattened growth of developed markets, expiration of patents leading to the up-selling of less expensive generic drugs, and tight regulations enforced in mature markets. Particular attention must therefore be given to these emerging markets. The strategies adopted by pharmaceutical companies that want to expand in these markets must be tailored to the pace of development of each country. These countries need drugs against infectious diseases and communicable diseases such as sexually transmitted diseases. They are readily exploitable territories for the innovative products of pharmaceuticals. Nevertheless, with the increase in wealth and longevity, a change of lifestyle is occurring. These changes accompany a shift in disease patterns. A disproportionally fast rise in the incidence of noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular illnesses, diabetes, and oncologic diseases has been observed in emerging markets, mimicking their Western counterparts. The incidence of diabetes and oncologic diseases is expected to grow by 20% or more by 2030. This shows that pharmaceutical industries will also be able to market their global products in these new countries. Conquering emerging markets can be challenging for industries. These challenges can be grouped into 3 categories: infrastructure development, cost-containment policies, and value-driven drug evaluation. Top strategies considered to overcome these challenges include adequate tailoring and a gain in market.

Bibliometric assessment of the contributions of literature on Chagas disease in Latin America and the Caribbean.

PubMed

Delgado-Osorio, Nathalia; Vera-Polania, Felipe; Lopez-Isaza, Andres F; Martinez-Pulgarin, Dayron F; Murillo-Abadia, Jonathan; Munoz-Urbano, Marcela; Cardona-Ospina, Jaime A; Bello, Ricardo; Lagos-Grisales, Guillermo J; Villegas-Rojas, Soraya; Rodriguez-Morales, Alfonso J

2014-01-01

Chagas disease, considered a parasitic neglected disease, is endemic in Latin America. Although, its mortality rate has decreased over time, it still represents a public health problem in the region. A bibliometric evaluation of the Latin American contributions on this disease was done. This study used SCI (1980-2013), MEDLINE/GOPUBMED (1802-2013), Scopus (1959-2013), SCIELO (2004-2013), and LILACS (1980-2013). Different study types have been characterized by years, origin city/country, journals and most productive authors, by country, cites and H-index. 2988 articles were retrieved from SCI (30.85% of total). Brazil was found to be the highest producer (31.22%), followed by Argentina (18.14%) and México (9.57%); the region received 47241 citations, 28.60% for Brazil (H-index=52), 18.26% of Argentina (Hindex= 43), 11.40% Bolivia (H-index=37). 4484 were retrieved from Scopus (30.20% of the total), 38.58% of which were from Brazil, 12.40% from Argentina and 8.90% from Mexico. From Medline, 6647 records were retrieved (45.58% Brazil). From SciELO, 917 articles (47.66% Brazil). From LILACS, 2165 articles (60.05% Brazil). Brazil has the highest output in the region. Despite advances in controlling Chagas disease, scientific production is low, particularly for regional bibliographic databases, which calls for more research on this disease.

Impact of homicide and traffic crashes on life expectancy in the largest Latin American country.

PubMed

Auger, Nathalie; Le Serbon, Emilie; Rasella, Davide; Aquino, Rosana; Barreto, Maurício L

2016-09-01

Brazil and Canada are on opposite poles of the spectrum for life expectancy in America. We identified factors underlying Brazil's lower life expectancy relative to Canada, with emphasis on the role of injury compared with other major causes. We computed life expectancy at birth in Brazil and Canada in 2010 and identified the ages and causes of death responsible for the gap between both countries. The main outcome measure was the contribution of homicide and traffic accidents to the gap, compared with other causes of death. Relative to Canada, life expectancy was lower in Brazil by 8.2 years (men) and 5.2 years (women). Injury lowered life expectancy of men in Brazil by 2.2 years, or more than a quarter of the gap, mainly due to homicide and traffic accidents between ages 20 and 64 years. Homicide and traffic accidents contributed more than all circulatory diseases combined. In women, circulatory disease was the most important cause of lower life expectancy. In 2010, homicides and traffic accidents were the principal cause for short life expectancy of men in Brazil. Improving life expectancy in Brazil requires addressing the root causes of inequalities that drive illicit drug trade, violence and accidents. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Childhood growth and chronic disease: evidence from countries undergoing the nutrition transition.

PubMed

Stein, Aryeh D; Thompson, Angela M; Waters, Ashley

2005-07-01

Evidence is accumulating that the pattern of growth in childhood is associated with development of cardiovascular disease in adulthood, but such evidence comes mostly from developed countries. We conducted a review of studies from countries undergoing the nutrition transition. Five birth cohorts with measures of child growth and outcomes through adolescence were identified, from China, India, Guatemala, Brazil and the Philippines. Across studies there are major differences in data availability and in statistical approaches to modelling child growth and its effects. Nevertheless, generally consistent associations of growth failure in early childhood and development of overweight in later childhood with the risk of elevated blood pressure, glucose, and serum lipids in adulthood were observed. As these cohorts mature they will provide a wealth of critical information on the relation between early life factors and later disease risk, and efforts should be made to ensure ongoing follow-up using standardized approaches and more comprehensive assessments.

Perspectives on anaerobic treatment in developing countries.

PubMed

Foresti, E

2001-01-01

Developing countries occupy regions where the climate is warm most of the time. Even in sub-tropical areas, low temperatures do not persist for long periods. This is the main factor that makes the use of anaerobic technology applicable and less expensive, even for the treatment of low-strength industrial wastewaters and domestic sewage. Based mainly on papers presented at the "VI Latin-American Workshop and Seminar on Anaerobic Digestion" held in Recife, Brazil, in November 2000, this text approaches the perspectives of anaerobic treatment of wastewaters in developing countries. Emphasis is given to domestic sewage treatment and to the use of compact systems in which sequential batch reactors (SBR) or dissolvedair flotation (DAF) systems are applied for the post-treatment of anaerobic reactor effluents. Experiments on bench- and pilot-plants have indicated that these systems can achieve high performance in removing organic matter and nutrients during the treatment of domestic sewage at ambient temperatures.

[Tendencies of studies addressing the eldest individuals of aged population in the community: a (inter)national systematic review].

PubMed

Rosset, Idiane; Pedrazzi, Elizandra Cristina; Roriz-Cruz, Matheus; de Morais, Eliane Pinheiro; Rodrigues, Rosalina Aparecida Partezani

2011-03-01

The purpose of this study was to identify and analyze the tendencies and types of studies published in Brazil and abroad, involving elders aged>80 years, living in the community. A systematic review of national literature was performed using the LILACS and SciELO databases, and PUBMED and EMBASE for international literature, covering publications of the last two decades. Twelve national and 162 international references were selected. Biological sciences were the prevalent area both at the national (50%) and international (74.1%) levels. All national studies were observational, 91.7% of which were cross-sectional. Of the international studies, 93.3% were observational, 48.1% of which were cross-sectional and 37.6% were cohort studies. The United States were the country responsible for 41.4% of all international publications. Brazil and China were the only developing countries with international publications. Despite the significant number of international scientific publications as of 2005, this fact has not been observed at the national level.

CBERS-03 Satellite Power Supply Subsystem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Almeida, Mario C. P.; Bo, Han

2005-05-01

The second China Brazil Earth Resources Satellite, CBERS-2, was successfully launched on October 21st, 2003 from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, China, through a Long March 4B launcher.The cooperation between China and Brazil for the construction of CBERS satellites is a continued mission and the governments of both countries are committed to building CBERS-3 for the continued and improved services started with the launch of CBERS-1 satellite [1]. Given to its success, the CBERS program is considered as a model for other joint scientific and technological projects between those two countries. CBERS-3 will have new instruments with higher resolution and higher power consumption requirements. The Power Supply Subsystem of CBERS-3 will be a scaled-up version of the one used in the previous missions, but will also present some innovations now possible due to improvements in components, technologies and materials. The modular concept used in the previous design, and repeated in this new mission, will allow the development of the new power subsystem equipments in a straightforward manner.

Income inequality is associated with adolescent fertility in Brazil: a longitudinal multilevel analysis of 5,565 municipalities.

PubMed

Chiavegatto Filho, Alexandre D P; Kawachi, Ichiro

2015-02-07

Brazil has one of the highest adolescent fertility rates in the world. Income inequality has been frequently linked to overall adolescent health, but studies that analyzed its association with adolescent fertility have been performed only in developed countries. Brazil, in the past decade, has presented a rare combination of increasing per capita income and decreasing income inequality, which could influence future desirable pathways for other countries. We analyzed every live birth from 2000 and from 2010 in each of the 5,565 municipalities of Brazil, a total of 6,049,864 births, which included 1,247,145 (20.6%) births from women aged 15 to 19. Income inequality was assessed by the Gini Coefficient and adolescent fertility by the ratio between the number of live births from women aged 15 to 19 and the number of women aged 15 to 19, calculated for each municipality. We first applied multilevel models separately for 2000 and 2010 to test the cross-sectional association between income inequality and adolescent fertility. We then fitted longitudinal first-differences multilevel models to control for time-invariant effects. We also performed a sensitivity analysis to include only municipality with satisfactory birth record coverage. Our results indicate a consistent and positive association between income inequality and adolescent fertility. After controlling for per capita income, college access, youth homicide rate and adult fertility, higher income inequality was significantly associated with higher adolescent fertility for both 2000 and 2010. The longitudinal multilevel models found similar results. The sensitivity analysis indicated that the results for the association between income inequality and adolescent fertility were robust. Adult fertility was also significantly associated with adolescent fertility in the cross-sectional and longitudinal models. Income inequality is expected to be a leading concern for most countries in the near future. Our results suggest that changes in income inequality are positively and consistently associated with changes in adolescent fertility.

Are movies with tobacco, alcohol, drugs, sex, and violence rated for youth?: A comparison of rating systems in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and the United States

PubMed Central

Thrasher, James F.; Sargent, James D.; Vargas, Rosa; Braun, Sandra; Barrientos-Gutierrez, Tonatiuh; Sevigny, Eric L.; Billings, Deborah L.; Arillo-Santillán, Edna; Navarro, Ashley; Hardin, James

2014-01-01

Background This study aimed to determine between-country differences and changes over time in the portrayal of youth risk behaviors in films rated for youth in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and the United States. Methods Content and ratings were analyzed for 362 films that were popular across all four countries from 2002–2009. Country-specific ratings were classified as either youth or adult, and Generalized Estimating Equations were used to determine between-country differences in the presence of tobacco, alcohol, drugs, sexual content, and violence in youth-rated films. Within-country differences in this content over time were also assessed, comparing films released from 2002–2005 with those released from 2006–2009. Results In the US, films rated for youth were less likely to contain all five risk behaviors than in youth-rated films in Argentina, Brazil, and, when the “15 and older” rating was considered a youth rating, in Mexico. All three Latin American countries “downrated” films that received an adult rating in the US. Nevertheless, tobacco and drug use in youth-rated films declined over time in all countries, whereas moderate to extreme alcohol use and violence involving children or youth increased in all countries. Conclusions Tobacco and drug use have declined in popular US films, but these behaviors are still prevalent in films rated for youth across the Americas. The apparent success of advocacy efforts to reduce tobacco and other drugs in films suggests that similar efforts be directed to reduce alcohol portrayals. PMID:24316001

World Energy Data System (WENDS). Volume I. Country data, AF-CO

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

1979-06-01

The World Energy Data System contains organized data on those countries and international organizations that may have critical impact on the world energy scene. Volumes 1 through 4 include energy-related information concerning 57 countries. Additional volumes (5 through 11) present review information on international organizations, summaries of energy-related international agreements, and fact sheets on nuclear facilities. Country data on Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Burma, Canada, China, and Colombia are included in Volume 1. The following topics are covered for most of the countries: economic, demographic, and educational profiles; energy policy; indigenous energy resources and uses;more » forecasts, demand, exports, imports of energy supplies; environmental considerations; power production facilities; energy industries; commercial applications of energy; research and development activities of energy; and international activities.« less

Restoring the Unwritten Alliance in Brazil -- United States Relations

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-03-23

improve U.S. relations with Brazil will cause its leaders to seek more advantageous relationships elsewhere--to the detriment of the United States...substantially improve U.S. relations with Brazil will cause its leaders to seek more advantageous relationships elsewhere--to the detriment of the...security improvements throughout the country. Additionally, a new oil field has been discovered off the coast of Rio de Janeiro. This discovery has drawn

Brazil and the United States: Security Issues for the Twenty-First Century

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-01-01

American continent. Its Atlantic Ocean coastline stretches for 4,600 miles. The country contains the bulk of the Amazon Basin with the largest...Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru , Columbia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana.[2] With the exception of Columbia, Brazil has cordial diplomatic...relations with its contiguous neighbors. Brazil’s Amazon jungle border with Columbia poses serious challenges from Columbia’s narcotics trade. Brazil

Mesozoic dinosaurs from Brazil and their biogeographic implications.

PubMed

Bittencourt, Jonathas S; Langer, Max C

2011-03-01

The record of dinosaur body-fossils in the Brazilian Mesozoic is restricted to the Triassic of Rio Grande do Sul and Cretaceous of various parts of the country. This includes 21 named species, two of which were regarded as nomina dubia, and 19 consensually assigned to Dinosauria. Additional eight supraspecific taxa have been identified based on fragmentary specimens and numerous dinosaur footprints known in Brazil. In fact, most Brazilian specimens related to dinosaurs are composed of isolated teeth and vertebrae. Despite the increase of fieldwork during the last decade, there are still no dinosaur body-fossils of Jurassic age and the evidence of ornithischians in Brazil is very limited. Dinosaur faunas from this country are generally correlated with those from other parts of Gondwana throughout the Mesozoic. During the Late Triassic, there is a close correspondence to Argentina and other south-Pangaea areas. Mid-Cretaceous faunas of northeastern Brazil resemble those of coeval deposits of North Africa and Argentina. Southern hemisphere spinosaurids are restricted to Africa and Brazil, whereas abelisaurids are still unknown in the Early Cretaceous of the latter. Late Cretaceous dinosaur assemblages of south-central Brazil are endemic only to genus or, more conspicuously, to species level, sharing closely related taxa with Argentina, Madagascar, Indo-Pakistan and, to a lesser degree, continental Africa.

Pertussis Diagnosis & Treatment

MedlinePlus

... in Other Countries Latin American Pertussis Project Countries Argentina Brazil Chile Colombia Mexico Panama Surveillance & Epidemiology Materials ... been exposed to pertussis and by doing a: History of typical signs and symptoms Physical examination Laboratory ...

Geodiversity and geoconservation in Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cardozo Moreira, Jasmine; Muggler, Cristine Carole

2014-05-01

Brazil is a large country with a wide diversity of landscapes and geological features and has been an important world producer of mineral resources. Despite this, until the 90's of last century, there has not been much concern and policies about geological heritage and geoconservation. Only at the end of the century the National Geological Service (CPRM) included the physical characterization of areas with geotouristic interest in its mission of generation and diffusion of geological information. In 1997, was created the Brazilian Commission of Geological and Paleobiological Sites (SIGEP, http://sigep.cprm.gov.br), responsible for the assessment, description and publicizing the sites of geological heritage. This is by now the most comprehensive and relevant initiative to protect the national heritage. It is composed by a fully accessible national database composed by 167 certified sites presented as scientific papers. Furthermore, a web-based applicative for the inventory and protection of geological heritage sites is being developed by the National Geological Service. The wider knowledge about geological heritage can be a useful tool for its conservation and this has been an important goal in the creation of protected areas, by means of environmental education and tourism. In Brazil, actions, research and publications about the subject have increased in the last five years, as well as the outreach and responsible use of the geological heritage. Scientific meetings, conferences and courses are growing and spreading around the country. The main scientific meeting has been the Brazilian Symposium of Geological Heritage that in its second edition (2013) had more than 200 papers presented. At that meeting it was also created the Association in Defence of the Geomining Heritage and the Association of Aspiring Geoparks. Brazil has only one geopark in the Unesco's Global Geopark Network, that is the Araripe Geopark, created in 2006. By the moment, propositions are being prepared in eight states of the country. Movements and activities have been developed to widen the understanding of geological features in many states, which include interpretative panels, training of monitors, publication of folders and educational leaflets. Geotourism is being stimulated both as a way to protect the geological heritage sites and as a source of jobs and income to local communities. Still, the strengthening of geoconservation in Brazil depends on a change of strategies related to geological heritage: they include education, the suitable use of resources and coordinated activities. Public policies about sustainable use of natural resources from local to national levels have to take into account geodiversity and its protection.

Mapping of Chagas disease research: analysis of publications in the period between 1940 and 2009.

PubMed

Ramos, José Manuel; González-Alcaide, Gregorio; Gascón, Joaquín; Gutiérrez, Félix

2011-01-01

Publications are often used as a measure of success in research work. Chagas disease occurs in Central and Southern America. However, during the past years, the disease has been occurring outside Latin America due to migration from endemic zones. This article describes a bibliometric review of the literature on Chagas disease research indexed in PubMed during a 70-year period. Medline was used via the PubMed online service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine from 1940 to 2009. The search strategy was: Chagas disease [MeSH] OR Trypanosoma cruzi [MeSH]. A total of 13,989 references were retrieved. The number of publications increased steadily over time from 1,361 (1940-1969) to 5,430 (2000-2009) (coefficient of determination for linear fit, R²=0.910). Eight journals contained 25% of the Chagas disease literature. Of the publications, 64.2% came from endemic countries. Brazil was the predominant country (37%), followed by the United States (17.6%) and Argentina (14%). The ranking in production changed when the number of publications was normalized by estimated cases of Chagas disease (Panama and Uruguay), population (Argentina and Uruguay), and gross domestic product (Bolivia and Brazil). Several Latin American countries, where the prevalence of T. cruzi infection was not very high, were the main producers of the Chagas disease literature, after adjusting for economic and population indexes. The countries with more estimated cases of Chagas disease produced less research on Chagas disease than some developed countries.

Experiences of homophobia among gay and bisexual men: results from a cross-sectional study in seven countries.

PubMed

Chard, Anna N; Finneran, Catherine; Sullivan, Patrick S; Stephenson, Rob

2015-01-01

Experiences of homophobic discrimination are associated with an increased prevalence of psychological disorders and increased odds of reporting suicidal ideation among gay and bisexual men. We examine two domains of homophobia--external homophobic discrimination and internalised homophobia--and their associations with sexual orientation, demographic characteristics, relationships and social support among a sample of gay and bisexual men from seven countries. Sexually active gay and bisexual men aged over 18 and residing in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, Thailand, the UK and the USA were recruited through banner advertisements on Facebook. Two outcomes were examined: reporting experiences of homophobic discrimination and reporting feelings of internalised homophobia. No covariates were consistently significantly associated with experiencing external homophobic discrimination across countries. Across all countries, bisexually identifying respondents reported significantly greater feelings of internalised homophobia. Respondents in Brazil and the UK reporting a main partner, and respondents in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, Thailand and the USA reporting a larger gay/bisexual social network, reported significantly fewer feelings of internalised homophobia. Results suggest an ameliorative effect of social networks on experiencing homophobia. Additional research should focus on the mechanisms through which social networks reduce feelings of internalised homophobia.

Children of the World. A Series of Nine Television Programs for Elementary Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Larson, Jo Ann

This is a guide to nine, thirty-minute video tape programs that try to develop in elementary school children an awareness of a true family of man. Brazil, Guatemala, Dahomey, Somalia, Nepal, Thailand, Chile, Peru, and Jamaica are the countries in which a child's life, showing the similarities and differences that exist for all humans, is the…

Adult Education as a Human Right: The Latin American Context and the Ecopedagogic Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gadotti, Moacir

2011-01-01

This article presents the concept and practice of adult education as a key issue for Brazil and other Latin American countries, both for formal and non-formal education in the public and private sectors. It includes citizen education focused on democratisation of society and sustainable development. The concept is pluralist and ideological as well…

Forging Collaborative Relationships in Brazil: From AIDS to ZIKV.

PubMed

O'Connor, David H; Osorio, Jorge E; Tanuri, Amilcar; Kallas, Esper G

2016-06-30

The Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak has stimulated collaborations between Brazilians, researchers from other South American countries, and scientists from around the world. The Brazilian response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic demonstrates capabilities that can be applied to the study of ZIKV and provides lessons for developing effective international infectious disease research collaborations. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

History and challenges of Brazilian social movements for the achievement of the right to adequate food.

PubMed

da Silva, Ana Carolina Feldenheimer; Recine, Elisabetta; Johns, Paula; Gomes, Fabio da Silva; Ferraz, Mariana de Araújo; Faerstein, Eduardo

2018-03-01

The historical struggles that Brazil faced to overcome malnutrition coincided with the empowerment of civil society and social movements which played a crucial role in the affirmation of health and food as social rights. After two decades under military dictatorship, Brazil went through a redemocratization process in the 1980s when activism emerged to demand spaces to participate in policy-making regarding the social agenda, including food and nutrition security (FNS). From 1988 onward institutional structures were established: the National Council of FNS (CONSEA) convenes government and civil society sectors to develop and monitor the implementation of policies, systems and actions. Social participation has been at the heart of structural changes achieved since then. Nevertheless, the country faces multiple challenges regarding FNS such as the double burden of disease, increasing use of pesticides and genetically modified seeds, weak regulation of ultra-processed products, and marketing practices that affect the environment, population health, and food sovereignty. This article aims at examining the development of the participatory political system and the role played by Brazilian social movements in the country's policies on FNS, in addition to outlining challenges faced by those policies.

The changing impact of family size on adolescents' schooling: assessing the exogenous variation in fertility using twins in Brazil.

PubMed

Marteleto, Letícia J; de Souza, Laetícia R

2012-11-01

Researchers have long been interested in the influence of family size on children's educational outcomes. Simply put, theories have suggested that resources are diluted within families that have more children. Although the empirical literature on developed countries has generally confirmed the theoretical prediction that family size is negatively related to children's education, studies focusing on developing societies have reported heterogeneity in this association. Recent studies addressing the endogeneity between family size and children's education have also cast doubt on the homogeneity of the negative role of family size on children's education. The goal of this study is to examine the causal effect of family size on children's education in Brazil over a 30-year period marked by important social and demographic change, and across extremely different regions within the country. We implement a twin birth instrumental variable approach to the nationally representative 1977-2009 PNAD data. Our results suggest an effect of family size on education that is not uniform throughout a period of significant social, economic, and demographic change. Rather, the causal effect of family size on adolescents' schooling resembles a gradient that ranges from positive to no effect, trending to negative.

Dietary guidelines to nourish humanity and the planet in the twenty-first century. A blueprint from Brazil.

PubMed

Monteiro, Carlos Augusto; Cannon, Geoffrey; Moubarac, Jean-Claude; Martins, Ana Paula Bortoletto; Martins, Carla Adriano; Garzillo, Josefa; Canella, Daniela Silva; Baraldi, Larissa Galastri; Barciotte, Maluh; Louzada, Maria Laura da Costa; Levy, Renata Bertazzi; Claro, Rafael Moreira; Jaime, Patrícia Constante

2015-09-01

To present and discuss the dietary guidelines issued by the Brazilian government in 2014. The present paper describes the aims of the guidelines, their shaping principles and the approach used in the development of recommendations. The main recommendations are outlined, their significance for the cultural, socio-economic and environmental aspects of sustainability is discussed, and their application to other countries is considered. Brazil in the twenty-first century. All people in Brazil, now and in future. The food- and meal-based Brazilian Dietary Guidelines address dietary patterns as a whole and so are different from nutrient-based guidelines, even those with some recommendations on specific foods or food groups. The guidelines are based on explicit principles. They take mental and emotional well-being into account, as well as physical health and disease prevention. They identify diet as having cultural, socio-economic and environmental as well as biological and behavioural dimensions. They emphasize the benefits of dietary patterns based on a variety of natural or minimally processed foods, mostly plants, and freshly prepared meals eaten in company, for health, well-being and all relevant aspects of sustainability, as well as the multiple negative effects of ready-to-consume ultra-processed food and drink products. The guidelines' recommendations are designed to be sustainable personally, culturally, socially, economically and environmentally, and thus fit to face this century. They are for foods, meals and dietary patterns of types that are already established in Brazil, which can be adapted to suit the climate, terrain and customs of all countries.

Advances in Arachis through genomics and biotechnology

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The 5th International Conference of the peanut research community met in Brasilia, Brazil from June 13 through 16, 2011 to discuss “Advances in Arachis through genomics and biotechnology”. Over 100 participated from many countries such as United States, Japan, China, India, Brazil, Argentina, with ...

The Future of Water Security in Metropolitan Region of Sao Paulo Through Different Climate Scenarios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gesualdo, G. C.; Oliveira, P. T. S.; Rodrigues, D. B. B.

2017-12-01

Achieving a balance between water availability and demand is one of the most pressing environmental challenges in the twenty-first century. This challenge is exacerbated by, climate change, which has already affected the water balance of landscapes globally by intensifying runoff, reducing snowpacks, and shifting precipitation regimes. Understanding these changes is crucial to identifying future water availability and developing sustainable management plans, especially in developing countries. Here, we address the developing country water balance challenge by assessing the influence of climate change on the water availability in the Jaguari basin, Southeastern Brazil. The Jaguari basin is one of the main sources of freshwater for 9 million people in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo. This region represents about 7% of the Brazil's Gross Domestic Product. The critical importance of the water balance challenge in this area has been highlighted recently when a major drought in southeastern Brazil revealed the vulnerability of current water management systems. Still today, the per capita water availability in the region remains severely limited. To help address this water balance challenge, we use a modeling approach to predict future water vulnerabilities of this region under different climate scenarios. Here, we calibrated and validated a lumped conceptual model using HYMOD to evaluate future scenarios using downscaled climate models resulting from HadGEM2-ES and MIROC5 GCMs forced by RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios. We also present future directions which include bias correction from long-term weather station data and an empirical uncertainty assessment. Our results provide an important overview of climate change impacts on streamflow and future water availability in the Jaguari basin, which can be used to guide the basin`s water security plans and strategies.

The impacts of AIDS movements on the policy responses to HIV/AIDS in Brazil and South Africa: A comparative analysis

PubMed Central

Nunn, Amy; Dickman, Samuel; Nattrass, Nicoli; Cornwall, Alexandra; Gruskin, Sofia

2013-01-01

Brazil and South Africa were among the first countries profoundly impacted by the HIV/AIDS epidemic and had similar rates of HIV infection in the early 1990s. Today, Brazil has less than 1% adult HIV prevalence, implemented treatment and prevention programmes early in the epidemic, and now has exemplary HIV/AIDS programmes. South Africa, by contrast, has HIV prevalence of 18% and was, until recently, infamous for its delayed and inappropriate response to the HIV/ AIDS epidemic. This article explores how differing relationships between AIDS movements and governments have impacted the evolving policy responses to the AIDS epidemic in both countries, including through AIDS programme finance, leadership and industrial policy related to production of generic medicines. PMID:23137055

Cancer mortality in Brazil

PubMed Central

Barbosa, Isabelle R.; de Souza, Dyego L.B.; Bernal, María M.; Costa, Íris do C.C.

2015-01-01

Abstract Cancer is currently in the spotlight due to their heavy responsibility as main cause of death in both developed and developing countries. Analysis of the epidemiological situation is required as a support tool for the planning of public health measures for the most vulnerable groups. We analyzed cancer mortality trends in Brazil and geographic regions in the period 1996 to 2010 and calculate mortality predictions for the period 2011 to 2030. This is an epidemiological, demographic-based study that utilized information from the Mortality Information System on all deaths due to cancer in Brazil. Mortality trends were analyzed by the Joinpoint regression, and Nordpred was utilized for the calculation of predictions. Stability was verified for the female (annual percentage change [APC] = 0.4%) and male (APC = 0.5%) sexes. The North and Northeast regions present significant increasing trends for mortality in both sexes. Until 2030, female mortality trends will not present considerable variations, but there will be a decrease in mortality trends for the male sex. There will be increases in mortality rates until 2030 for the North and Northeast regions, whereas reductions will be verified for the remaining geographic regions. This variation will be explained by the demographic structure of regions until 2030. There are pronounced regional and sex differences in cancer mortality in Brazil, and these discrepancies will continue to increase until the year 2030, when the Northeast region will present the highest cancer mortality rates in Brazil. PMID:25906105

Depression risks in mothers of children with developmental disabilities: a cross-cultural comparison of Brazil, Colombia, Malaysia and Thailand.

PubMed

Osada, Hirokazu; Coelho de Amorim, Annibal; Velosa, Andrea; Wan, Wong Poh; Lotrakul, Panpimol; Hara, Hitoshi

2013-06-01

Compared with US or European countries, there are fewer mental health services for mothers of children with developmental disabilities in Latin American and/or Southeast Asian countries. To explore the risk of depression in mothers of children with developmental disabilities in countries with a lack of mental health professionals, we conducted cross-cultural comparisons for four countries: Brazil, Colombia, Malaysia and Thailand. Using the CES-D, we compared the participants' depressive symptoms, by which we also estimated the probability of morbid depression. In every country, participants tended to show depressive symptoms. In the CES-D total scores and the numbers of mothers who were observed to have a high level of depressive symptoms, there were significant differences among countries (F = 4.36, p = .006; χ2 = 10.3, p = .015). Considering cultural models, we could apply evidence-based intervention to depressive mothers of children, and conduct intervention and treatment for those mothers and evaluate ways of providing better mental health services to these individuals.

Main meal quality in Brazil and United Kingdom: Similarities and differences.

PubMed

Gorgulho, Bartira Mendes; Pot, Gerda Karolien; Sarti, Flavia Mori; Marchioni, Dirce Maria

2017-04-01

Consumption of fast food and ready-to-eat meals has been positively associated with obesity. In the UK, ready-made meals are more often consumed than in Brazil, a country in which nutrition transition is relatively low. This study aimed to compare the nutritional quality of the main meal consumed by adults in Brazil and UK. Food record data was obtained from representative samples from UK and Brazil databases. The Main Meal Quality Index (MMQI) was applied to estimate the quality of the main meal consumed in Brazil and UK. Differences in food groups consumed in the main meal in Brazil and UK were observed using classification decision tree. Meals with higher average energy content were lunch for Brazil, and dinner for the UK. On average, the Brazilian main meal had better nutritional quality (4.42 times higher), independently of sex, age, family income, nutritional status and energy consumed, with higher scores of fiber, carbohydrate, total fat, saturated fat and energy density. However, UK's main meal included more fruits and vegetables. Food preparations combined with rice and beans were classified as Brazilian main meal, while combinations with fast food items, as fried potatoes, sandwiches and sugary beverages, were classified as UK main meals. In Brazil, the main meal quality was lower among women and obese individuals, presenting significant positive association with age, and negative association with energy intake and family income; while in UK, only age was positively associated with MMQI. Although main meals in Brazil had higher nutritional quality compared to the UK, main meals consumed in both countries need nutritional improvement. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bibliometric assessment of the Latin-American contributions in dengue.

PubMed

Vera-Polania, Felipe; Perilla-Gonzalez, Yuliana; Martinez-Pulgarin, Dayron F; Baquero-Rodriguez, Juan D; Munoz-Urbano, Marcela; Lagos-Gallego, Mariana; Lagos-Grisales, Guillermo J; Villegas, Soraya; Rodriguez-Morales, Alfonso J

2014-01-01

Despite efforts in prevention and control of dengue, it is still a public health problem in the region. There are estimations of 13 million people affected in the Americas, therefore, it is of outmost importance to research it. An assessment on the Latin- American contributions on dengue was done. Bibliometric study at SCI (1980- 2013), MEDLINE/GOPUBMED (1802-2013), Scopus (1959-2013), SCIELO (2004-2013), LILACS (1980- 2013). Different study types, characterized by years, city/country of origin, journals and more productive authors, by country, cites and H index have been conducted. At SCI, 2598 articles were retrieved (21% of the total). Brazil was found to be the highest contributor (31.2%), then Puerto Rico (12.9%) and Mexico (10.7%). At Scopus, there are 2646 articles (16.7% of the total), 31.2% Brazil, 11.1% Mexico, 9.3% Cuba; the region received 41881 citations, 25.4% from Brazil (H index=45), 14.4% Cuba (H index=35) and 12.88% Puerto Rico (H index=38); 9.1% in Brazil were from Fundação Oswaldo Cruz; 1.6% of Mexico corresponded to Instituto Nacional de Salud Publica, 4.9% of Cuba are from Instituto de Medicina Tropical Pedro Kouri. At Medline, there are 2799 records (33.9% from Brazil). At SciELO there are 825 records (46.6% Brazil). At LILACS, there are 1178 records (46.8% Brazil). Brazil is the best producer in the region. In Puerto Rico and Brazil, there observed the epidemiologic burden of the disease. Scientific production in bibliographical data bases, particularly regional, is low, as compared to the high impact of the disease of in urban zones of the region.

Depressive symptoms and alcohol correlates among Brazilians aged 14 years and older: a cross-sectional study

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The associations between depressive symptoms and alcohol-related disorders, drinking patterns and other characteristics of alcohol use are important public health issues worldwide. This study aims to study these associations in an upper middle-income country, Brazil, and search for related socio-demographic correlations in men and women. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted between November 2005 and April 2006. The sample of 3,007 participants, selected using a multistage probabilistic sampling method, represents the Brazilian population aged 14 and older. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale and alcohol dependence was assessed using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Associations assessed using bi-variate analysis were tested using Rao-Scott measures. Gender specific multinomial logistic regression models were developed. Results Among the participants with alcohol dependence, 46% had depressive symptoms (17.2% mild/moderate and 28.8% major/severe; p < 0.01); 35.8% (p = 0.08) of those with alcohol abuse and 23.9% (p < 0.01) of those with a binge-drinking pattern also had depressive symptoms. Alcohol abstainers and infrequent drinkers had the highest prevalence of major/severe depressive symptoms, whereas frequent heavy drinkers had the lowest prevalence of major/severe depressive symptoms. In women, alcohol dependence and the presence of one or more problems related to alcohol consumption were associated with higher risks of major/severe depressive symptoms. Among men, alcohol dependence and being ≥45 years old were associated with higher risks of major/severe depressive symptoms. Conclusions In Brazil, the prevalence of depressive symptoms is strongly related to alcohol dependence; the strongest association was between major/severe depressive symptoms and alcohol dependence in women. This survey supports the possible association of biopsychosocial distress, alcohol consumption and the prevalence of depressive symptoms in Brazil. Investing in education, social programs, and care for those with alcohol dependence and major/severe depressive symptoms, especially for such women, and the development of alcohol prevention policies may be components of a strategic plan to reduce the prevalence of depression and alcohol problems in Brazil. Such a plan may also promote the socio-economic development of Brazil and other middle-income countries. PMID:25027830

Reduction in all-cause otitis media-related outpatient visits in children after PCV10 introduction in Brazil

PubMed Central

Sartori, Ana L.; Minamisava, Ruth; Bierrenbach, Ana L.; Toscano, Cristiana M.; Afonso, Eliane T.; Morais-Neto, Otaliba L.; Antunes, José L. F.; Cristo, Elier B.

2017-01-01

Few studies have reported the effect of 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV10) on otitis media (OM) in infants. In particular, no population-based study in upper-middle income countries is available. In 2010, Brazil introduced PCV10 into its routine National Immunization Program using a 3+1 schedule. We measured the impact of PCV10 on all-cause OM in children. An interrupted time-series analysis was conducted in Goiânia/Brazil considering monthly rates (per 100,000) of all-cause OM outpatient visits in children aged 2–23 months. We used case-based data from the Outpatient Visits Information System of the Unified Health System coded for ICD-10 diagnosis for the period of August/2008 to July/2015. As a comparator, we used rates of outpatient visits due to all-other causes. The relative reduction of all-cause OM and all-other causes of outpatient visits were calculated as the difference between the predicted and observed cumulative rates of the PCV10 post-vaccination period. We then subtracted the relative reduction of all-other causes of outpatient visits from all-cause OM to obtain the impact of PCV10 on OM. In total, 6,401 OM outpatient visits were recorded in 4,793 children aged 2–23 months. Of these, 922 (19.2%) children had more than one OM episode. A significant reduction in all-cause OM visits was observed (50.7%; 95%CI: 42.2–59.2%; p = 0.013), while the reduction in visits due to all-other causes was 7.7% (95% CI 0.8–14.7%; p<0.001). The impact of PCV10 on all-cause OM was thus estimated at 43.0% (95%CI 41.4–44.5). This is the first study to show significant PCV10 impact on OM outpatient visits in infants in a developing country. Our findings corroborate the available evidence from developed countries. PMID:28594913

Reduction in all-cause otitis media-related outpatient visits in children after PCV10 introduction in Brazil.

PubMed

Sartori, Ana L; Minamisava, Ruth; Bierrenbach, Ana L; Toscano, Cristiana M; Afonso, Eliane T; Morais-Neto, Otaliba L; Antunes, José L F; Cristo, Elier B; Andrade, Ana Lucia

2017-01-01

Few studies have reported the effect of 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV10) on otitis media (OM) in infants. In particular, no population-based study in upper-middle income countries is available. In 2010, Brazil introduced PCV10 into its routine National Immunization Program using a 3+1 schedule. We measured the impact of PCV10 on all-cause OM in children. An interrupted time-series analysis was conducted in Goiânia/Brazil considering monthly rates (per 100,000) of all-cause OM outpatient visits in children aged 2-23 months. We used case-based data from the Outpatient Visits Information System of the Unified Health System coded for ICD-10 diagnosis for the period of August/2008 to July/2015. As a comparator, we used rates of outpatient visits due to all-other causes. The relative reduction of all-cause OM and all-other causes of outpatient visits were calculated as the difference between the predicted and observed cumulative rates of the PCV10 post-vaccination period. We then subtracted the relative reduction of all-other causes of outpatient visits from all-cause OM to obtain the impact of PCV10 on OM. In total, 6,401 OM outpatient visits were recorded in 4,793 children aged 2-23 months. Of these, 922 (19.2%) children had more than one OM episode. A significant reduction in all-cause OM visits was observed (50.7%; 95%CI: 42.2-59.2%; p = 0.013), while the reduction in visits due to all-other causes was 7.7% (95% CI 0.8-14.7%; p<0.001). The impact of PCV10 on all-cause OM was thus estimated at 43.0% (95%CI 41.4-44.5). This is the first study to show significant PCV10 impact on OM outpatient visits in infants in a developing country. Our findings corroborate the available evidence from developed countries.

Reforming EIA systems: A critical review of proposals in Brazil

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fonseca, Alberto, E-mail: albertof@em.ufop.br; Sánchez, Luis Enrique; Ribeiro, José Claudio Junqueira

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) systems are under pressure in many countries, driven by a call for efficiency and streamlining. Such a phenomenon is particularly clear in Brazil, where, in the past few years, a number of influential associations put forward documents proposing significant changes to environmental licensing and impact assessment regulations. So far, there is no publicly available information about any initiative towards scrutinizing those proposals. The objective of this study was to critically review the merits and drawbacks of the changes proposed in those documents. The analysis triangulated content analysis, focus group and online survey data. The focus groupmore » included ten seasoned Brazilian EIA specialists; the survey, based on Likert-scale and open-ended questions, resulted in 322 valid responses from EIA professionals. Results show that the proposals generally agree that the current EIA system, while playing a key role in mitigating impacts and enhancing project design, needs many changes. Nonetheless, the proposals neither offered solutions to overcome political, technical and budget barriers, nor established a sense of priority of the most urgent issues. Findings from the focus group and the survey signaled that a number of proposed actions might face public outcry, and that those changes that do not depend on legislative action are more likely to be implementable. Previous studies about EIA reform focused mostly on the context of developed countries after changes had taken place. This study, while addressing the perspective of a large developing country in a “before-reform” stage, shows that capacity-building is a key requirement in EIA reform. - Highlights: • Brazil's EIA system is under strong pressure for change. • Findings corroborate ineffectiveness in current system. • There are tensions as to the best approaches to overcome problems. • Exact effects of proposals are uncertain. • Low institutional capacity can play strong role in driving EIA reform.« less

The Role of Satellite Data for the National Forest Monitoring Systems in the Context of REDD+

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jonckheere, Inge

2012-04-01

Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) is an effort to create a financial value for the carbon stored in forests, offering incentives for developing countries to reduce emissions from forested lands and invest in low-carbon paths to sustainable development. “REDD+” goes beyond deforestation and forest degradation, and includes the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks. In the framework of getting countries ready for REDD+, the UN-REDD Programme assists developing countries to prepare and implement national REDD+ strategies. For the monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV), FAO supports the countries to develop national forest monitoring systems (NFMS) based on satellite data that allow for credible MRV of REDD+ activities through time. The UN-REDD Programme through a joint effort of FAO and Brazil's National Space Agency, INPE, is supporting countries to develop cost- effective, robust and compatible national monitoring and MRV systems, providing tools, methodologies, training and knowledge sharing that help countries to strengthen their technical and institutional capacity for effective MRV systems. The Brazilian forest monitoring system, TerraAmazon, which is used as a multi-user basis, allows countries to adapt it to country needs. With the technical assistance of FAO, INPE and other stakeholders, the countries will set up an autonomous operational satellite forest monitoring systems. A beta version and the methodologies of the system for DRC and PNG are launched in Durban (SA) during COP 17, while Paraguay, Zambia and Viet Nam are in development in 2012.

Prevalence of pain reporting and associated health outcomes across emerging markets and developed countries.

PubMed

Goren, Amir; Mould-Quevedo, Joaquín; daCosta DiBonaventura, Marco

2014-11-01

The current study represents the first broad, multi-country, population-based survey of pain, assessing the association between pain and health outcomes, plus comparing the burden of pain across emerging and developed countries. Data from the 2011/2012 National Health and Wellness Surveys were used. Respondents reporting pain (neuropathic pain, fibromyalgia, back pain, surgery pain, and/or arthritis pain) vs no pain in emerging (Brazil, China, Russia) vs developed (European Union, Japan, United States) countries were compared on sociodemographic characteristics and measures of quality of life (SF-12v2 and SF-36v2), work productivity and activity impairment, and health care resource use. Respondents included 128,821 without pain and 29,848 with pain in developed countries, and 37,244 without pain and 4,789 with pain in emerging countries. Pain reporting and treatment rates were lower in China (6.2% and 28.3%, respectively) and Japan (4.4% and 26.3%, respectively) than in other countries (≥ 14.3% and 35.8%, respectively). Significant impairments in quality of life, productivity, and resource use were associated with pain across all health outcomes in both developed and emerging countries, with some productivity and physical health status impairments greater with pain in developed countries, whereas mental health status impairment and resource use were greater with pain in emerging countries. Pain was associated with burden across all study outcomes in all regions. Yet, differences emerged in the degree of impairment, pain reporting, diagnosis, treatment rates, and characteristics of patients between emerging and developed nations, thus helping guide a broader understanding of this highly prevalent condition globally. Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Inequities in access to health care in different health systems: a study in municipalities of central Colombia and north-eastern Brazil

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Introduction Health system reforms are undertaken with the aim of improving equity of access to health care. Their impact is generally analyzed based on health care utilization, without distinguishing between levels of care. This study aims to analyze inequities in access to the continuum of care in municipalities of Brazil and Colombia. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted based on a survey of a multistage probability sample of people who had had at least one health problem in the prior three months (2,163 in Colombia and 2,167 in Brazil). The outcome variables were dichotomous variables on the utilization of curative and preventive services. The main independent variables were income, being the holder of a private health plan and, in Colombia, type of insurance scheme of the General System of Social Security in Health (SGSSS). For each country, the prevalence of the outcome variables was calculated overall and stratified by levels of per capita income, SGSSS insurance schemes and private health plan. Prevalence ratios were computed by means of Poisson regression models with robust variance, controlling for health care need. Results There are inequities in favor of individuals of a higher socioeconomic status: in Colombia, in the three different care levels (primary, outpatient secondary and emergency care) and preventive activities; and in Brazil, in the use of outpatient secondary care services and preventive activities, whilst lower-income individuals make greater use of the primary care services. In both countries, inequity in the use of outpatient secondary care is more pronounced than in the other care levels. Income in both countries, insurance scheme enrollment in Colombia and holding a private health plan in Brazil all contribute to the presence of inequities in utilization. Conclusions Twenty years after the introduction of reforms implemented to improve equity in access to health care, inequities, defined in terms of unequal use for equal need, are still present in both countries. The design of the health systems appears to determine access to the health services: two insurance schemes in Colombia with different benefits packages and a segmented system in Brazil, with a significant private component. PMID:24479581

Ethnicity and Cutaneous Melanoma in the City of Sao Paulo, Brazil: A Case-Control Study

PubMed Central

Luiz, Olinda C.; Gianini, Reinaldo José; Gonçalves, Fernanda T.; Francisco, Guilherme; Festa-Neto, Cyro; Sanches, José Antonio; Gattas, Gilka J. F.; Chammas, Roger; Eluf-Neto, José

2012-01-01

Background Over the last century the incidence of cutaneous melanoma has increased worldwide, a trend that has also been observed in Brazil. The identified risk factors for melanoma include the pattern of sun exposure, family history, and certain phenotypic features. In addition, the incidence of melanoma might be influenced by ethnicity. Like many countries, Brazil has high immigration rates and consequently a heterogenous population. However, Brazil is unique among such countries in that the ethnic heterogeneity of its population is primarily attributable to admixture. This study aimed to evaluate the contribution of European ethnicity to the risk of cutaneous melanoma in Brazil. Methodology/Principal Findings We carried out a hospital-based case-control study in the metropolitan area of Sao Paulo, Brazil. We evaluated 424 hospitalized patients (202 melanoma patients and 222 control patients) regarding phenotypic features, sun exposure, and number of grandparents born in Europe. Through multivariate logistic regression analysis, we found the following variables to be independently associated with melanoma: grandparents born in Europe—Spain (OR = 3.01, 95% CI: 1.03–8.77), Italy (OR = 3.47, 95% CI: 1.41–8.57), a Germanic/Slavic country (OR = 3.06, 95% CI: 1.05–8.93), or ≥2 European countries (OR = 2.82, 95% CI: 1.06–7.47); eye color—light brown (OR = 1.99, 95% CI: 1.14–3.84) and green/blue (OR = 4.62; 95% CI 2.22–9.58); pigmented lesion removal (OR = 3.78; 95% CI: 2.21–6.49); no lifetime sunscreen use (OR = 3.08; 95% CI: 1.03–9.22); and lifetime severe sunburn (OR = 1.81; 95% CI: 1.03–3.19). Conclusions Our results indicate that European ancestry is a risk factor for cutaneous melanoma. Such risk appears to be related not only to skin type, eye color, and tanning capacity but also to others specific characteristics of European populations introduced in the New World by European immigrants. PMID:22558444

Evaluation of the impact of collaborative work by teams from the National Medical Residency Committee and the Brazilian Society of Neurosurgery. Retrospective and prospective study.

PubMed

Santos, Renato Antunes Dos; Snell, Linda; Nunes, Maria do Patrocínio Tenório

2016-04-01

Training for specialist physicians in Brazil can take place in different ways. Closer liaison between institutions providing this training and assessment and health care services may improve qualifications. This article analyzes the impact of closer links and joint work by teams from the National Medical Residency Committee (Comissão Nacional de Residência Médica, CNRM) and the Brazilian Society of Neurosurgery (Sociedade Brasileira de Neurocirurgia, SBN) towards evaluating these programs. Retrospective and prospective study, conducted in a public university on a pilot project developed between CNRM and SBN for joint assessment of training programs across Brazil. The literature in the most relevant databases was reviewed. Documents and legislation produced by official government bodies were evaluated. Training locations were visited. Reports produced about residency programs were analyzed. Only 26% of the programs were immediately approved. The joint assessments found problems relating to teaching and to functioning of clinical service in 35% of the programs. The distribution of programs in this country has a strong relationship with the Human Development Index (HDI) of the regions and is very similar to the distribution of specialists. Closer collaboration between the SBN and CNRM had a positive impact on assessment of neurosurgery medical residency across the country. The low rates of direct approval have produced modifications and improvements to the quality of teaching and care (services). Closer links between the CNRM and other medical specialties have the capability to positively change the structure and function of specialty training in Brazil.

Treatment at scale in Brazil: a physician's perspective.

PubMed

Schechter, Mauro

2007-07-01

In 1996, Brazil became the first developing country to provide universal access to antiretroviral therapy (ART), based on a strategy that utilizes an individualized approach to treatment and an open formulary. At the time, the number of patients in need of treatment was less than 15% of what it is today, there were six approved drugs for the treatment of HIV infection (compared with 25 today), and the life expectancy of patients was measured in months and years, not in decades. In recent years, preventable and treatable conditions such as cardiovascular diseases increased significantly faster as causes of death among HIV-infected individuals than in the general population. In the near future there will be a substantial increase in the number of patients in need of therapy and in the number of patients using more complex regimens who also have co-morbidities that impact prognosis. Brazil will thus need to expand its network of treatment facilities, increase its capacity to manage more complex clinical conditions, and decide on the proper balance of sophistication that will be required. As the Brazilian scientific output is not commensurate with its successes in the treatment and prevention of HIV infection, there is little empirical basis to inform decisions on how best to allocate finite resources. The Brazilian response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, universal access to ART in particular, is an example to other developing countries. The Brazilian experience also shows that operational research should be an integral part of programmes of access to treatment, if their long-term sustainability is to be ensured.

Cost of production of live attenuated dengue vaccines: a case study of the Instituto Butantan, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

PubMed

Mahoney, R T; Francis, D P; Frazatti-Gallina, N M; Precioso, A R; Raw, I; Watler, P; Whitehead, P; Whitehead, S S

2012-07-06

A vaccine to prevent dengue disease is urgently needed. Fortunately, a few tetravalent candidate vaccines are in the later stages of development and show promise. But, if the cost of these candidates is too high, their beneficial potential will not be realized. The price of a vaccine is one of the most important factors affecting its ultimate application in developing countries. In recent years, new vaccines such as those for human papilloma virus and pneumococcal disease (conjugate vaccine) have been introduced with prices in developed countries exceeding $50 per dose. These prices are above the level affordable by developing countries. In contrast, other vaccines such as those against Japanese encephalitis (SA14-14-2 strain vaccine) and meningitis type A have prices in developing countries below one dollar per dose, and it is expected that their introduction and use will proceed more rapidly. Because dengue disease is caused by four related viruses, vaccines must be able to protect against all four. Although there are several live attenuated dengue vaccine candidates under clinical evaluation, there remains uncertainty about the cost of production of these tetravalent vaccines, and this uncertainty is an impediment to rapid progress in planning for the introduction and distribution of dengue vaccines once they are licensed. We have undertaken a detailed economic analysis, using standard industrial methodologies and applying generally accepted accounting practices, of the cost of production of a live attenuated vaccine, originally developed at the US National Institutes of Health (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases), to be produced at the Instituto Butantan in Sao Paulo, Brazil. We determined direct costs of materials, direct costs of personnel and labor, indirect costs, and depreciation. These were analyzed assuming a steady-state production of 60 million doses per year. Although this study does not seek to compute the price of the final licensed vaccine, the cost of production estimate produced here leads to the conclusion that the vaccine can be made available at a price that most ministries of health in developing countries could afford. This conclusion provides strong encouragement for supporting the development of the vaccine so that, if it proves to be safe and effective, licensure can be achieved soon and the burden of dengue disease can be reduced. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Challenge of Universal Eye Health in Latin America: distributive inequality of ophthalmologists in 14 countries.

PubMed

Hong, Hannah; Mújica, Oscar J; Anaya, José; Lansingh, Van C; López, Ellery; Silva, Juan Carlos

2016-11-18

No comprehensive study currently exists on the supply of ophthalmologists across Latin America. We explored sociogeographic inequalities in the availability and distribution of ophthalmologists across 14 Latin American countries. The National Ophthalmologic Societies of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela provided data on affiliated ophthalmologists by first-order subnational divisions in 2013. Human Development Index (HDI) estimates at the corresponding subnational division were used as equity stratifiers. Distributional inequality of ophthalmologists within each country was assessed by the health concentration index (HCI) and the index of dissimilarity (ID), along with the mean level of ophthalmologists per population. Across all countries studied, there were 5.2 ophthalmologists per 100 000 population on average (95% CI 5.0 to 5.4) in 2013, with a mean HCI of 0.26 (0.16 to 0.37) and a mean relative ID of 22.7% (20.9% to 24.7%). There was wide inequality in ophthalmologist availability between countries, ranging from 1.2 (1.1 to 1.4) in Ecuador to 8.6 (8.5 to 8.8) in Brazil. All countries had positive (ie, pro-rich) HCI values ranging from 0.68 (0.66 to 0.71) in Guatemala to 0.02 (-0.11 to 0.14) in Venezuela. Correspondingly, redistributive potential to achieve equity was closest in Venezuela (ID: 1.5%) and farthest in Guatemala (ID: 60.3%). Benchmarked against regional averages, most countries had a lower availability of ophthalmologists and higher relative inequality. There is high inequality in the level and distribution of ophthalmologists between and within countries in Latin America, with a disproportionate number concentrated in more developed, socially advantaged areas. More equitable access to ophthalmologists could be achieved by implementing incentivised human resources redistribution programmes and by improving the social determinants of health in underserved areas. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Are movies with tobacco, alcohol, drugs, sex, and violence rated for youth? A comparison of rating systems in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and the United States.

PubMed

Thrasher, James F; Sargent, James D; Vargas, Rosa; Braun, Sandra; Barrientos-Gutierrez, Tonatiuh; Sevigny, Eric L; Billings, Deborah L; Arillo-Santillán, Edna; Navarro, Ashley; Hardin, James

2014-03-01

This study aimed to determine between-country differences and changes over time in the portrayal of youth risk behaviors in films rated for youth in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and the United States. Content and ratings were analyzed for 362 films that were popular across all four countries from 2002 to 2009. Country-specific ratings were classified as either youth or adult, and Generalized Estimating Equations were used to determine between-country differences in the presence of tobacco, alcohol, drugs, sexual content, and violence in youth-rated films. Within-country differences in this content over time were also assessed, comparing films released from 2002 to 2005 with those released from 2006 to 2009. In the US, films rated for youth were less likely to contain all five risk behaviors than in youth-rated films in Argentina, Brazil, and, when the "15 and older" rating was considered a youth rating, in Mexico. All three Latin American countries "downrated" films that received an adult rating in the US. Nevertheless, tobacco and drug use in youth-rated films declined over time in all countries, whereas moderate to extreme alcohol use and violence involving children or youth increased in all countries. Tobacco and drug use have declined in popular US films, but these behaviors are still prevalent in films rated for youth across the Americas. The apparent success of advocacy efforts to reduce tobacco and other drugs in films suggests that similar efforts be directed to reduce alcohol portrayals. Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Clinical and molecular aspects of familial hypercholesterolemia in Ibero-American countries.

PubMed

Santos, Raul D; Bourbon, Mafalda; Alonso, Rodrigo; Cuevas, Ada; Vasques-Cardenas, Norma Alexandra; Pereira, Alexandre C; Merchan, Alonso; Alves, Ana Catarina; Medeiros, Ana Margarida; Jannes, Cinthia E; Krieger, Jose E; Schreier, Laura; Perez de Isla, Leopoldo; Magaña-Torres, Maria Teresa; Stoll, Mario; Mata, Nelva; Dell Oca, Nicolas; Corral, Pablo; Asenjo, Sylvia; Bañares, Virginia G; Reyes, Ximena; Mata, Pedro

There is little information about familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) epidemiology and care in Ibero-American countries. The Ibero-American FH network aims at reducing the gap on diagnosis and treatment of this disease in the region. To describe clinical, molecular, and organizational characteristics of FH diagnosis in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Portugal, Spain, and Uruguay. Descriptive analysis of country data related to FH cascade screening, molecular diagnosis, clinical practice guidelines, and patient organization presence in Ibero-America. From a conservative estimation of an FH prevalence of 1 of 500 individuals, there should be 1.2 million heterozygous FH individuals in Ibero-America and roughly 27,400 were diagnosed so far. Only Spain, Brazil, Portugal, and Uruguay have active cascade screening programs. The prevalence of cardiovascular disease ranged from 10% to 42% in member countries, and the highest molecular identification rates are seen in Spain, 8.3%, followed by Portugal, 3.8%, and Uruguay with 2.5%. In the 3 countries with more FH patients identified (Spain, Portugal, and Brazil) between 10 and 15 mutations are responsible for 30% to 47% of all FH cases. Spain and Portugal share 5 of the 10 most common mutations (4 in low density lipoprotein receptor [LDLR] and the APOB3527). Spain and Spanish-speaking Latin American countries share 6 of the most common LDLR mutations and the APOB3527. LDL apheresis is available only in Spain and Portugal and not all countries have specific FH diagnostic and treatment guidelines as well as patient organizations. Ibero-American countries share similar mutations and gaps in FH care. Copyright © 2016 National Lipid Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Assessing the relevance of indicators in tracking social determinants and progress toward equitable population health in Brazil

PubMed Central

Rasella, Davide; Machado, Daiane Borges; Castellanos, Marcelo Eduardo Pfeirrer; Paim, Jairnilson; Szwarcwald, Celia Landmann; Lima, Diana; Magno, Laio; Pedrana, Leo; Medina, Maria Guadalupe; Penna, Gerson Oliveira; Barreto, Mauricio Lima

2016-01-01

Background The importance of the social determinants of health (SDH) and barriers to the access and utilization of healthcare have been widely recognized but not previously studied in the context of universal healthcare coverage (UHC) in Brazil and other developing countries. Objective To evaluate a set of proposed indicators of SDH and barriers to the access and utilization of healthcare – proposed by the SDH unit of the World Health Organization – with respect to their relevance in tracking progress in moving toward equitable population health and UHC in Brazil. Design This study had a mixed methodology, combining a quantitative analysis of secondary data from governmental sources with a qualitative study comprising two focus group discussions and six key informant interviews. The set of indicators tested covered a broad range of dimensions classified by three different domains: environment quality; accountability and inclusion; and livelihood and skills. Indicators were stratified according to income quintiles, urbanization, race, and geographical region. Results Overall, the indicators were adequate for tracking progress in terms of the SDH, equity, gender, and human rights in Brazil. Stratifications showed inequalities. The qualitative analysis revealed that many of the indicators were well known and already used by policymakers and health sector managers, whereas others were considered less useful in the Brazilian context. Conclusions Monitoring and evaluation practices have been developed in Brazil, and the set of indicators assessed in this study could further improve these practices, especially from a health equity perspective. Socioeconomic inequalities have been reduced in Brazil in the last decade, but there is still much work to be done in relation to addressing the SDH. PMID:26853898

Global Health Equity: Cancer Care Outcome Disparities in High-, Middle-, and Low-Income Countries

PubMed Central

de Souza, Jonas A.; Hunt, Bijou; Asirwa, Fredrick Chite; Adebamowo, Clement

2016-01-01

Breakthroughs in our global fight against cancer have been achieved. However, this progress has been unequal. In low- and middle-income countries and for specific populations in high-income settings, many of these advancements are but an aspiration and hope for the future. This review will focus on health disparities in cancer within and across countries, drawing from examples in Kenya, Brazil, and the United States. Placed in context with these examples, the authors also draw basic recommendations from several initiatives and groups that are working on the issue of global cancer disparities, including the US Institute of Medicine, the Global Task Force on Expanded Access to Cancer Care and Control in Developing Countries, and the Union for International Cancer Control. From increasing initiatives in basic resources in low-income countries to rapid learning systems in high-income countries, the authors argue that beyond ethics and equity issues, it makes economic sense to invest in global cancer control, especially in low- and middle-income countries. PMID:26578608

The Place of Pluriactivity in Brazil's Agrarian Reform Institutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chase, Jacquelyn

2010-01-01

Livelihood diversification by Brazil's peasantry has intensified as rural areas have become more integrated with the country's urban fabric and as landlessness and poverty have increased. Despite the growing awareness of pluriactivity by rural households, key agrarian institutions have not addressed this key feature of life of the people they…

URINARY BIOMARKERS IN CHARCOAL WORKERS EXPOSED TO WOOD SMOKE IN BAHIA STATE, BRAZIL

EPA Science Inventory

Charcoal is an important source of energy for domestic and industrial use in many countries. In Brazil, the largest producer of charcoal in the world, approximately 350,000 workers are linked to the production and transportation of charcoal. In order to evaluate the occupationa...

Toxic plants affecting the nervous system of ruminants and horses in Brazil

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

This review updates information about neurotoxic plants affecting ruminants and equidae in Brazil. Currently in the country, there are at least 131 toxic plants belonging to 79 genera. Thirty one of these poisonous plants affect the nervous system. Swainsonine-containing plants (Ipomoea spp., Turbin...

The Military As A Hindrance In Mexico’s Consolidation Of Democracy

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-12-01

superficially compared to those of other Latin American countries such as Argentina, Brazil, and Chile . This academic neglect by U.S. scholars may also be...analyses the pre and post civil-military relations of Argentina, Brazil, Chile , Peru, and Uruguay. 4. Limiting Prerogatives Similar to Stepan’s...

A checklist of chiggers from Brazil, including new records (Acari: Trombidiformes: Trombiculidae and Leeuwenhoekiidae).

PubMed

Jacinavicius, Fernando de Castro; Bassini-Silva, Ricardo; Mendoza-Roldan, Jairo Alfonso; Pepato, Almir Rogério; Ochoa, Ronald; Welbourn, Cal; Barros-Battesti, Darci Moraes

2018-01-01

A checklist of the family Trombiculidae and Leeuwenhoekiidae is presented, containing 63 species in 30 genera of chiggers from 80 different hosts and 146 localities in Brazil. The type locality and depository are provided, including new locality and host records for the country.

Dialogism as Antiracist Education: Engaging with Competing Racial Ideologies in Brazil

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bacelar da Silva, Antonio José

2014-01-01

Brazil has recently enacted sweeping policies against racial inequality, including a mandate to teach African and Afro-Brazilian history and culture in schools across the country. This article analyzes Afro-Brazilian activists' heteroglossic engagement with recent legal and social changes while leading teacher-training courses. I demonstrate how…

The anthropometric history of Argentina, Brazil and Peru during the 19th and early 20th century.

PubMed

Baten, Joerg; Pelger, Ines; Twrdek, Linda

2009-12-01

This anthropometric study focuses on the histories of three important Latin American countries - Brazil, Peru, and Argentina - during the 19th century, and tests hypotheses concerning their welfare trends. While non-farm Brazil and Lima, Peru, started at relatively low height levels, Brazil made substantial progress in nutritional levels from the 1860s to the 1880s. In contrast, Lima remained at low levels. Argentinean men were tall to begin with, but heights stagnated until 1910. The only exception were farmers and landowners, who benefited from the export boom.

Semiology of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures: An international cross-cultural study.

PubMed

Asadi-Pooya, Ali A; Valente, Kette; Alessi, Ruda; Tinker, Jennifer

2017-10-01

We compared the semiology of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) between patients from the USA and Brazil. This international cross-cultural comparative study may expand understanding of PNES across the borders. We retrospectively investigated all patients with PNES admitted to one epilepsy center in the USA and one in Brazil. We classified their seizures into four classes: generalized motor, akinetic, focal motor, and subjective symptoms. All patients were interviewed by an epileptologist in both countries and were administered psychological assessment measures, including questions about PNES risk factors. For the statistical analyses, we compared patients from the two nations. Eighty-nine patients (49 from the USA and 40 from Brazil) were studied. Patients from the two countries were not significantly different with regard to sex and age, but patients from Brazil had earlier age at onset (26years vs. 34years; P=0.004) and a significantly greater delay in diagnosis (9.9years vs. 5.6years; P=0.001). Some characteristics of PNES were different between the two groups; patients from the USA had generally more seizure types and more often reported subjective seizures (55% in the USA vs. 10% in Brazil; P=0.0001). Clinical and historical characteristics of the patients were not significantly different. Delay in diagnosis of PNES may represent a major factor in resource-limited countries. Large multicenter cross-cultural studies may reveal subtle but significant cross-cultural differences with respect to the semiological, clinical, and historical aspects of PNES; however, patients with PNES share more similarities than differences. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Prevalence and pattern of epilepsy treatment in different socioeconomic classes in Brazil.

PubMed

Noronha, Ana L A; Borges, Moacir A; Marques, Lucia H N; Zanetta, Dirce M T; Fernandes, Paula T; de Boer, Hanneke; Espíndola, Javier; Miranda, Claudio T; Prilipko, Leonid; Bell, Gail S; Sander, Josemir W; Li, Li M

2007-05-01

The worldwide prevalence of epilepsy is variable, estimated at 10//1,000 people, and access to treatment is also variable. Many people go untreated, particularly in resource-poor countries. To estimate the prevalence of epilepsy and the proportion of people not receiving adequate treatment in different socioeconomic classes in Brazil, a resource-poor country. A door-to-door survey was conducted to assess the prevalence and treatment gap of epilepsy in three areas of two towns in Southeast Brazil with a total population of 96,300 people. A validated screening questionnaire for epilepsy (sensitivity 95.8%, specificity 97.8%) was used. A neurologist further ascertained positive cases. A validated instrument for socioeconomic classification was used. Lifetime prevalence was 9.2/1,000 people [95% CI 8.4-10.0] and the prevalence of active epilepsy was 5.4/1,000 people. This was higher in the more deprived social classes (7.5/1,000 compared with 1.6/1,000 in the less deprived). Prevalence was also higher in elderly people (8.5/1,000). Thirty-eight percent of patients with active epilepsy had inadequate treatment (19% on no medication); the figures were similar in the different socioeconomic groups. The prevalence of epilepsy in Brazil is similar to other resource-poor countries, and the treatment gap is high. Epilepsy is more prevalent among less wealthy people and in elderly people. There is an urgent need for education in Brazil to inform people that epilepsy is a treatable, as well as preventable, condition.

Stillbirth prevalence in Brazil: an exploration of regional differences.

PubMed

Carvalho, Taiana Silva; Pellanda, Lucia Campos; Doyle, Pat

Brazil is a large, heterogeneous, and diverse country, marked by social, economic, and regional inequalities. Stillbirth is a global concern, especially in low- and middle-income countries. This study investigated the prevalence and possible determinants of stillbirth in different regions of Brazil. This is a cross-sectional study including all women of reproductive age who had had a pregnancy in the last five years, enrolled in the most recent Brazilian Demographic and Health Survey (DHS/PNDS-2006/07). Logistic regression was used to assess the association between region and other maternal characteristics and stillbirth risk. The prevalence of stillbirth in Brazil was 14.82 per 1000 births, with great variation by region of the country, and a higher prevalence among the most deprived. The North and Northeast regions had the highest odds of stillbirth compared to the Center-West, which persisted after adjustment for multiple confounders - including deprivation level and ethnicity. Low maternal age and maternal obesity were also related to higher odds of stillbirth. In Brazil, the region influences stillbirth risk, with much higher risk in the North and Northeast. Variation in socioeconomic level does not explain this finding. Further research on the subject should explore other possible explanations, such as antenatal care and type of delivery, as well as the role of the private and public health systems in determining stillbirth. Preventive strategies should be directed to these historically disadvantaged regions, such as guaranteeing access and quality of care during pregnancy and around the time of birth. Copyright © 2017 Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

A web application to support telemedicine services in Brazil.

PubMed

Barbosa, Ana Karina P; de A Novaes, Magdala; de Vasconcelos, Alexandre M L

2003-01-01

This paper describes a system that has been developed to support Telemedicine activities in Brazil, a country that has serious problems in the delivery of health services. The system is a part of the broader Tele-health Project that has been developed to make health services more accessible to the low-income population in the northeast region. The HealthNet system is based upon a pilot area that uses fetal and pediatric cardiology. This article describes both the system's conceptual model, including the tele-diagnosis and second medical opinion services, as well as its architecture and development stages. The system model describes both collaborating tools used asynchronously, such as discussion forums, and synchronous tools, such as videoconference services. Web and free-of-charge tools are utilized for implementation, such as Java and MySQL database. Furthermore, an interface with Electronic Patient Record (EPR) systems using Extended Markup Language (XML) technology is also proposed. Finally, considerations concerning the development and implementation process are presented.

The genus Fleischmannia in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay (Eupatorieae, Asteraceae)

PubMed Central

Robinson, Harold

2015-01-01

Abstract Species of the genus Fleischmannia from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay are reviewed, and keys are provided that cover the species in each country. New taxa described are Fleischmannia hatschbachii, Fleischmannia matogrosensis, Fleischmannia microstemon var. paniculata from Brazil, Fleischmannia hassleri from Paraguay and Fleischmannia neei and Fleischmannia steinbachii from Bolivia, and one new combination for a Fleischmannia prasiifolia variety is provided. The additions bring the total known species of the genus to 102. PMID:26752962

Highly active antiretroviral therapy in Brazil: the challenge of universal access in a context of social inequality.

PubMed

Hacker, Mariana A; Petersen, Maya L; Enriquez, Melissa; Bastos, Francisco I

2004-08-01

To investigate trends in AIDS mortality and incidence in Brazil over the period of 1984 to 2000 and to assess the impact of the introduction of universal access to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in the country in 1996. Data from the Brazilian disease notification system and the national mortality information system were used to calculate annual region-specific and sex-specific AIDS incidence and mortality rates. We also calculated sex- and region-specific ratios of the number of AIDS deaths in one year to the number of AIDS cases notified two years earlier. AIDS mortality rates for both men and women and in all five of the geographic regions of Brazil declined following introduction of HAART, despite continued growth in AIDS incidence. The ratio of the number of AIDS deaths in one year to the number of AIDS cases notified two years earlier for men equalized rapidly with the ratio for women following introduction of HAART. More recently, AIDS incidence declined for both sexes and in most of the regions of Brazil. Despite Brazil's resource limitations and disparities in wealth between men and women and among the country's regions, the introduction of universal access to HAART in Brazil has helped achieve impressive declines in AIDS mortality, and it may also be contributing to declines in AIDS incidence.

Occupational health and safety in Brazil.

PubMed Central

Frumkin, H; Câmara, V de M

1991-01-01

BACKGROUND. Brazil is the world's fifth largest and sixth most populous nation. Its economy is varied, with strong manufacturing, agriculture, mining, and service sectors. Therefore, a wide variety of workplace hazards confronts its work force. This paper describes Brazil's occupational safety and health regulatory scheme, workers' compensation system, plant-level practices, training, and data collection. METHODS. We reviewed and analyzed Brazilian regulatory legislation and government and non-governmental organization (NGO) activity in occupational safety and health, as well as the structure and function of the workers' compensation system. We also reviewed available data on injuries and diseases from major sources, including the now-defunct Instituto Nacional do Previdencia Social (INPS) and the workers' compensation scheme, Seguro de Acidente de Trabalho (SAT). RESULTS. The incidence of workplace injuries has decreased in recent years and is now reported to be about 5 per 100 workers per year. The case fatality rate has been constant at about 5 fatalities per 1000 injuries. Less than 6% of reported injuries are classified as "diseases." Brazil's rates are comparable to those of Mexico and Zimbabwe, and two to four times higher than in most industrialized countries. CONCLUSIONS. Brazil has a high incidence of occupational injuries and diseases; these injuries and diseases are underreported; there is a large informal sector at special risk; and Brazil illustrates the disparity that exists in many countries between legislation on the books and legislation that is actually implemented. PMID:1836110

Occupational health and safety in Brazil.

PubMed

Frumkin, H; Câmara, V de M

1991-12-01

Brazil is the world's fifth largest and sixth most populous nation. Its economy is varied, with strong manufacturing, agriculture, mining, and service sectors. Therefore, a wide variety of workplace hazards confronts its work force. This paper describes Brazil's occupational safety and health regulatory scheme, workers' compensation system, plant-level practices, training, and data collection. We reviewed and analyzed Brazilian regulatory legislation and government and non-governmental organization (NGO) activity in occupational safety and health, as well as the structure and function of the workers' compensation system. We also reviewed available data on injuries and diseases from major sources, including the now-defunct Instituto Nacional do Previdencia Social (INPS) and the workers' compensation scheme, Seguro de Acidente de Trabalho (SAT). The incidence of workplace injuries has decreased in recent years and is now reported to be about 5 per 100 workers per year. The case fatality rate has been constant at about 5 fatalities per 1000 injuries. Less than 6% of reported injuries are classified as "diseases." Brazil's rates are comparable to those of Mexico and Zimbabwe, and two to four times higher than in most industrialized countries. Brazil has a high incidence of occupational injuries and diseases; these injuries and diseases are underreported; there is a large informal sector at special risk; and Brazil illustrates the disparity that exists in many countries between legislation on the books and legislation that is actually implemented.

Comparison of anal HPV natural history among men by country of residence: Brazil, Mexico, and the United States.

PubMed

Sudenga, Staci L; Nyitray, Alan G; Torres, B Nelson; Silva, Roberto; Villa, Luisa; Lazcano-Ponce, Eduardo; Abrahamsen, Martha; Baggio, Maria Luiza; Salmeron, Jorge; Quiterio, Manuel; Giuliano, Anna R

2017-07-01

Globally, anal cancer incidence is rare, but is increasing in some world regions. Our objective was to assess differences in anal HPV natural history in three countries. Men aged 18-70 years were recruited from the US (n = 634), Mexico (n = 665), and Brazil (n = 731). Anal specimens were collected every six-months. HPV genotyping was assessed by Linear Array. Anal HPV prevalence was compared using the Fisher's exact test. HPV infection incidence rates (IR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. Any anal HPV prevalence was highest among men from Brazil (24%) compared to Mexico (15%) and the US (15%). When stratified by sexual history, the prevalence of any HPV among MSM/MSMW was 43%, 37%, and 45% and 9%, 12%, and 10% for MSW from Brazil, Mexico, and US, respectively. Any HPV incidence was significantly higher among men from Brazil compared to US men (IRR = 2.4, 95% CI = 1.7-3.4) and comparable between men from Mexico and the US (IRR = 1.2, 95% CI = 0.8-1.8). Men in Brazil and Mexico often have similar, if not higher incidence of anal HPV compared to men from the U.S., and may benefit from gender neutral HPV vaccine policies. Copyright © 2017 The British Infection Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

National guidelines for high-cost drugs in Brazil: achievements and constraints of an innovative national evidence-based public health policy.

PubMed

Picon, Paulo D; Beltrame, Alberto; Banta, David

2013-04-01

The translation of best evidence into practice has become an important purpose of policy making in health care. In Brazil, a country of continental dimensions with widespread regional and social inequalities, the dissemination and use of the best-evidence in policy making is a critical issue for the healthcare system. The main purpose of this study is to describe an evidence-based public health policy with special emphasis on guidelines creation for high-cost medicines. We also describe how that strategy was diffused to the judiciary system and to other parts of the healthcare system. We present an 11-year follow-up of a national project for creating and updating guidelines for high-cost medicines in Brazil. A total of 109 national guidelines were published (new or updated versions) for 66 selected diseases, the first such effort in Brazilian history. The project influenced the Brazilian legislature, which has recently established a Federal Law requiring national guidelines for any new technology listed for payment by the Brazilian public healthcare system. We were able to involve many different stakeholders in a partnership between academia and policy makers, which made possible the widespread dissemination of the clinical practice guidelines. Problems and constraints were also encountered. This evolving public health strategy might be useful for other developing countries.

[The arrival of the plague in São Paulo in 1899].

PubMed

do Nascimento, Dilene Raimundo

2011-01-01

In October 1899, the bubonic plague arrived in Brazil through the port of Santos. A city of intensive port activity, Santos was the gateway for a plague epidemic that devastated several cities in Brazil in the early 20th century and prompted joint action by several states to fight it. More importantly, given the difficulties and delays in importing anti-plague serum from Europe, it led to the creation of the Butantan Institute in Sao Paulo (in 1899) and the Municipal Serotherapeutic Institute in Rio de Janeiro (in 1900), which developed and standardized anti-plague serum and vaccines according to the particular conditions of the country. Until then, public health efforts had been isolated and had not reached the whole country. Oswaldo Cruz, newly arrived after three years of specialization at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, worked with scientists Adolfo Lutz and Vital Brazil on identifying the plague in Santos. This article analyzes the arrival of the bubonic plague epidemic in the state of Sao Paulo and the public health measures taken to combat the disease and provide patient care in the early part of the 20th century. The primary sources for this analysis were the São Paulo newspapers, especially O Estado de Sao Paulo, and reports from the Ministry of Justice and the President of the State of Sao Paulo.

Attendance at day care centers increases the risk of childhood pneumonia among the urban poor in Fortaleza, Brazil.

PubMed

Fonseca; Kirkwood; Barros; Misago; Correia; Flores; Fuchs; Victora

1996-04-01

We carried out a case-control study to investigate risk factors for childhood pneumonia in two groups of 650 children aged under two years in the city of Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. The cases were children recruited at the main pediatric hospital with a radiological diagnosis of pneumonia, and controls were children of the same age group recruited from the neighbourhood of the cases. In this paper we focus on variables related to childcare practices. Working mothers, proportion of time the mother had worked since the child was born, and use of day care centers emerged as important risk factors with estimated relative risks of 1.58, 1.76 and 5.22, respectively. Also important were the number of children living in the house and presence of grandparents. However, the presence of siblings under two years and the birth order were not associated with pneumonia. All analysis included adjustment for confounding by income, parents' education, and other risk factors as appropriate. This is the first study from a developing country to identify attendance at day care centers as a risk factor for increased childhood morbidity, in this case pneumonia. This finding is of significant public health importance for countries such as Brazil with growing urban populations and an increasing need by mothers to find work outside the home.

Biomass fuel from woody crops for electric power generation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Perlack, R.D.; Wright, L.L.; Huston, M.A.

1995-06-22

This report discusses the biologic, environmental, economic, and operational issues associated with growing wood crops in managed plantations. Information on plantation productivity, environmental issues and impacts, and costs is drawn from DOE`s Biofuels Feedstock Development as well as commercial operations in the US and elsewhere. The particular experiences of three countries--Brazil, the Philippines, and Hawaii (US)--are discussed in considerable detail.

Detection and distribution of rotavirus in raw sewage and creeks in Sao Paulo, Brazil

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mehnert, D.U.; Stewien, K.E.

1993-01-01

Rotavirus invection is an important cause of hospitalization and mortality of infants and children in developing countries, especially where the water supply and sewage disposal systems are in precarious conditions. This report describes the detection, quantitation, and distribution of rotaviruses in domestic sewage and sewage polluted creeks in the city of San Paulo. 22 refs., 1 fig., 3 tabs.

Proceedings of the International Conference on Mobility and Transport of Elderly and Handicapped Persons (3rd, Orlando, Florida, October 29-31, 1984). Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bell, William G., Ed.; Ashford, Norman J., Ed.

These conference proceedings contain the texts of 62 papers. The first 17 papers include 4 keynote presentations as well as reviews of: major developments in several countries (Brazil, Canada, Great Britain, Jordan, Netherlands, Sweden, United States) and Hong Kong; handicapped travelers' access to air transport; and application of microcomputer…

[Determinants of the use of different healthcare levels in the General System of Social Security in Health in Colombia and the Unified Health System in Brazil].

PubMed

Garcia-Subirats, Irene; Vargas Lorenzo, Ingrid; Mogollón-Pérez, Amparo Susana; De Paepe, Pierre; da Silva, Maria Rejane Ferreira; Unger, Jean Pierre; Vázquez Navarrete, María Luisa

2014-01-01

To compare the use of different healthcare levels, and its determinants, in two different health systems, the General System of Social Security in Health (GSSSH) and the Unified Health System (UHS) in municipalities in Colombia and Brazil. A cross-sectional study was carried out, based on a population survey in two municipalities in Colombia (n=2163) and two in Brazil (n=2155). Outcome variables consisted of the use of primary care services, outpatient secondary care services, and emergency care in the previous 3 months. Explanatory variables were need and predisposing and enabling factors. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed by healthcare level and country. The determinants of use differed by healthcare level and country: having a chronic disease was associated with a greater use of primary and outpatient secondary care in Colombia, and was also associated with the use of emergency care in Brazil. In Colombia, persons enrolled in the contributory scheme more frequently used the services of the GSSSH than persons enrolled with subsidized contributions in primary and outpatient secondary care and more than persons without insurance in any healthcare level. In Brazil, the low-income population and those without private insurance more frequently used the UHS at any level. In both countries, the use of primary care was increased when persons knew the healthcare center to which they were assigned and if they had a regular source of care. Knowledge of the referral hospital increased the use of outpatient secondary care and emergency care. In both countries, the influence of the determinants of use differed according to the level of care used, emphasizing the need to analyze healthcare use by disaggregating it by level of care. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Espana.

Risk factors for myocardial infarction in Brazil.

PubMed

Piegas, Leopoldo S; Avezum, Alvaro; Pereira, Júlio César R; Neto, João Manoel Rossi; Hoepfner, Clóvis; Farran, Jorge A; Ramos, Rui F; Timerman, Ari; Esteves, José Péricles

2003-08-01

Approximately three-quarters of cardiovascular disease deaths in the world come from developing countries, and acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is an important cause of death. Brazil is one of the largest countries in Latin America and the contemporary evaluation of risk factors for AMI is crucial for a more efficacious disease management. The Acute Myocardial Infarction Risk Factor Assessment in Brazil (AFIRMAR) study is a case-control, hospital-based study involving 104 hospitals in 51 cities in Brazil, designed to evaluate risk factors for a first ST-segment elevation AMI. A total of 1279 pairs, matched by age (+/- 5 years) and sex, were enrolled. The conditional multivariable analysis of 33 variables showed the following independent risk factors for AMI: > or =5 cigarettes per day (odds ratio [OR] 4.90, P <.00001); glucose > or =126 mg/dL (OR 2.82, P <.00001); waist/hip ratio > or =0.94 (OR 2.45, P <.00001); family history of CAD (OR 2.29, P <.00001), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol 100 to 120 mg/dL (OR 2.10, P <.00001); reported hypertension (OR 2.09, P <.00001); <5 cigarettes per day (OR 2.07, P =.0171); low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol >120 mg/dL (OR 1.75, P <.00001); reported diabetes mellitus (OR 1.70, P =.0069); waist/hip ratio 0.90 to 0.93 (OR 1.52, P =.0212); alcohol intake (up to 2 days/week) (OR 0.75, P <.0309); alcohol intake (3-7 days/week) (OR 0.60, P =.0085); family income R$600 to R$1200 and college education (OR 2.92, P =.0499); family income >R$1200 and college education (OR 0.68, P = 0.0239) The independent risk factors for AMI in Brazil showed a conventional distribution pattern (smoking, diabetes mellitus and central obesity among others) with different strengths of association; most of them being preventable by implementation of adequate policies.

A school-based epidemiological field survey: difficulties in collecting psychiatric outcome data in a middle-income country.

PubMed

Fidalgo, T M; Sanchez, Z M; Ribeiro, M; Healy, S R; Caetano, S C; Martins, S S

2017-07-28

Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) face a lack of epidemiological data. The development of high-quality surveys is a key research priority in countries such as Brazil. Our aim is to discuss the difficulties in conducting a longitudinal epidemiological survey in a pilot study of a school-based sample in São Paulo. Data came from a cohort of school-attending adolescents in two neighborhoods with different levels of urbanicity in São Paulo. Students born in 2002 and in the 7th grade during 2014 were recruited from nine public schools. Adolescents and caregivers were interviewed separately at baseline and at one year follow-up, using several instruments, including the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children/Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL). Achieving unbiased sampling, keeping an updated register of participants' contact information, using a full clinical interview without an algorithm for its scoring, and maintaining a highly-trained research team were among the difficulties faced. Working closely with community leaders, organizing group efforts to perform interviews, using a short, easy to understand instrument and providing some reward for participants were identified as alternatives to dealing with these difficulties, useful not only in Brazil, but also in other LMICs.

Experiences of homophobia among gay and bisexual men: results from a cross-sectional study in seven countries

PubMed Central

Chard, Anna N.; Finneran, Catherine; Sullivan, Patrick S.

2016-01-01

Experiences of homophobic discrimination are associated with an increased prevalence of psychological disorders and increased odds of reporting suicidal ideation among gay and bisexual men. We examine two domains of homophobia – external homophobic discrimination and internalised homophobia – and their associations with sexual orientation, demographic characteristics, relationships, and social support among a sample of gay and bisexual men from 7 countries. Sexually active gay and bisexual men aged over 18 and residing in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, Thailand, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States (USA) were recruited through banner advertisements on Facebook. Two outcomes were examined: reporting experiences of homophobic discrimination and reporting feelings of internalised homophobia. No covariates were consistently significantly associated with experiencing external homophobic discrimination across countries. Across all countries, bisexually identifying respondents reported significantly greater feelings of internalised homophobia. Respondents in Brazil and the UK reporting a main partner, and respondents in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, Thailand, and the USA reporting a larger gay/bisexual social network reported significantly fewer feelings of internalised homophobia. Results suggest an ameliorative effect of social networks on experiencing homophobia. Additional research should focus on the mechanisms through which social networks reduce feelings of internalised homophobia. PMID:26096688

Origin and evolution of dengue virus type 3 in Brazil.

PubMed

de Araújo, Josélio Maria Galvão; Bello, Gonzalo; Romero, Hector; Nogueira, Rita Maria Ribeiro

2012-01-01

The incidence of dengue fever and dengue hemorrhagic fever in Brazil experienced a significant increase since the emergence of dengue virus type-3 (DENV-3) at the early 2000s. Despite the major public health concerns, there have been very few studies of the molecular epidemiology and time-scale of this DENV lineage in Brazil. In this study, we investigated the origin and dispersion dynamics of DENV-3 genotype III in Brazil by examining a large number (n=107) of E gene sequences sampled between 2001 and 2009 from diverse Brazilian regions. These Brazilian sequences were combined with 457 DENV-3 genotype III E gene sequences from 29 countries around the world. Our phylogenetic analysis reveals that there have been at least four introductions of the DENV-3 genotype III in Brazil, as signified by the presence of four phylogenetically distinct lineages. Three lineages (BR-I, BR-II, and BR-III) were probably imported from the Lesser Antilles (Caribbean), while the fourth one (BR-IV) was probably introduced from Colombia or Venezuela. While lineages BR-I and BR-II succeeded in getting established and disseminated in Brazil and other countries from the Southern Cone, lineages BR-III and BR-IV were only detected in one single individual each from the North region. The phylogeographic analysis indicates that DENV-3 lineages BR-I and BR-II were most likely introduced into Brazil through the Southeast and North regions around 1999 (95% HPD: 1998-2000) and 2001 (95% HPD: 2000-2002), respectively. These findings show that importation of DENV-3 lineages from the Caribbean islands into Brazil seems to be relatively frequent. Our study further suggests that the North and Southeast Brazilian regions were the most important hubs of introduction and spread of DENV-3 lineages and deserve an intense epidemiological surveillance.

Study of the scientific production on leishmaniasis in Latin America.

PubMed

Perilla-Gonzalez, Yuliana; Gomez-Suta, Daniela; Delgado-Osorio, Nathalia; Hurtado-Hurtado, Natalia; Baquero-Rodriguez, Juan D; Lopez-Isaza, Andres F; Lagos-Grisales, Guillermo J; Villegas, Soraya; Rodriguez-Morales, Alfonso J

2014-01-01

Leishmaniasis is a highly relevant neglected tropical disease. It has important consequences in affected populations, including a high fatality rate in its visceral form. It is present in Latin America, then it is necessary to promote more research on it. A bibliometric assessment of the Latin American scientific production in leishmaniasis was done. Bibliometric study at SCI (1980-2013), MEDLINE/GOPUBMED (1802-2013), Scopus (1959-2013), SCIELO (2004-2013), LILACS (1980-2013). Different study types, characterized by years, city/country of origin, journals and more productive authors, by country, cites and H index. At SCI, 2857 articles were found (17.7% of the total). Brazil was the highest producer (58.1%), followed by Colombia (9.9%) and Venezuela (5.6%); the region received 41186 citations, 54.2% of Brazil (H index=62), 12.1% Colombia (H index=30) and 4.5% of Venezuela (H index=25). At Scopus, there are 3681 (14.7% of the total), 53.2% Brazil, 6.8% Colombia and 6.0% Venezuela; 38.46% at Brazil were from Fundação Oswaldo Cruz; 30.6% of Colombia corresponded to Universidad de Antioquia; 31.34% at Venezuela were from Universidad Central de Venezuela. At Medline there are 4525 records (60.6% of Brazil). At SciELO there are 1068 records (67.5% Brazil). At LILACS, there are 1740 records (56.0% Brazil). Scientific production of Brazil predominates in the region, with one single institution generating more articles than Colombia and Venezuela together. Scientific production in bibliographical data bases, particularly regional, is still relatively low, and the disease neglected when compared to other tropical conditions such as dengue and malaria.

Towards Integrated Health Technology Assessment for Improving Decision Making in Selected Countries.

PubMed

Oortwijn, Wija; Determann, Domino; Schiffers, Krijn; Tan, Siok Swan; van der Tuin, Jeroen

2017-09-01

To assess the level of comprehensiveness of health technology assessment (HTA) practices around the globe and to formulate recommendations for enhancing legitimacy and fairness of related decision-making processes. To identify best practices, we developed an evaluation framework consisting of 13 criteria on the basis of the INTEGRATE-HTA model (integrative perspective on assessing health technologies) and the Accountability for Reasonableness framework (deliberative appraisal process). We examined different HTA systems in middle-income countries (Argentina, Brazil, and Thailand) and high-income countries (Australia, Canada, England, France, Germany, Scotland, and South Korea). For this purpose, desk research and structured interviews with relevant key stakeholders (N = 32) in the selected countries were conducted. HTA systems in Canada, England, and Scotland appear relatively well aligned with our framework, followed by Australia, Germany, and France. Argentina and South Korea are at an early stage, whereas Brazil and Thailand are at an intermediate level. Both desk research and interviews revealed that scoping is often not part of the HTA process. In contrast, providing evidence reports for assessment is well established. Indirect and unintended outcomes are increasingly considered, but there is room for improvement. Monitoring and evaluation of the HTA process is not well established across countries. Finally, adopting transparent and robust processes, including stakeholder consultation, takes time. This study presents a framework for assessing the level of comprehensiveness of the HTA process in a country. On the basis of applying the framework, we formulate recommendations on how the HTA community can move toward a more integrated decision-making process using HTA. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Is skewed income distribution good for environmental quality? A comparative analysis among selected BRICS countries.

PubMed

Mahalik, Mantu Kumar; Mallick, Hrushikesh; Padhan, Hemachandra; Sahoo, Bhagaban

2018-06-03

A large number of studies have examined the linkage between income inequality and environmental quality at the individual country levels. This study attempts to examine the linkage between the two factors for the individual BRICS economies from a comparative perspective, which is scarce in the literature. It examines the selected countries (Brazil, India, China and South Africa) by endogenising the patterns of primary energy consumption (coal use and petroleum use), total primary energy consumption, economic growth, and urbanisation as key determining factors in CO 2 emission function. The long-run results based on ARDL bounds testing revealed that income inequality leads to increase in CO 2 emissions for Brazil, India and China, while the same factor leads to reduction in CO 2 emissions for South Africa. However, it observes that while coal use increases CO 2 emissions for India, China and South Africa, it has no effect for Brazil. In contrast, the use of petroleum products contributes to CO 2 emissions in Brazil, while the use of the same surprisingly results in reduction of carbon emissions in South Africa, India and China. The findings suggest that given the significance of income inequality in environmental pollution, the policy makers in these emerging economies have to take into consideration the role of income inequality, while designing the energy policy to achieve environmental sustainability.

Four malaria success stories: how malaria burden was successfully reduced in Brazil, Eritrea, India, and Vietnam.

PubMed

Barat, Lawrence M

2006-01-01

While many countries struggle to control malaria, four countries, Brazil, Eritrea, India, and Vietnam, have successfully reduced malaria burden. To determine what led these countries to achieve impact, published and unpublished reports were reviewed and selected program and partner staff were interviewed to identify common factors that contributed to these successes. Common success factors included conducive country conditions, a targeted technical approach using a package of effective tools, data-driven decision-making, active leadership at all levels of government, involvement of communities, decentralized implementation and control of finances, skilled technical and managerial capacity at national and sub-national levels, hands-on technical and programmatic support from partner agencies, and sufficient and flexible financing. All these factors were essential in achieving success. If the goals of Roll Back Malaria are to be achieved, governments and their partners must take the lessons learned from these program successes and apply them in other affected countries.

Applications of advanced transport aircraft in developing countries

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gobetz, F. W.; Assarabowski, R. J.; Leshane, A. A.

1978-01-01

Four representative market scenarios were studied to evaluate the relative performance of air-and surface-based transportation systems in meeting the needs of two developing contries, Brazil and Indonesia, which were selected for detailed case studies. The market scenarios were: remote mining, low-density transport, tropical forestry, and large cargo aircraft serving processing centers in resource-rich, remote areas. The long-term potential of various aircraft types, together with fleet requirements and necessary technology advances, is determined for each application.

Oil Palm Expansion in the Brazilian Amazon (2006-2014): Effects of the 2010 Sustainable Oil Palm Production Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benami, E.; Curran, L. M.

2017-12-01

Brazil has the world's largest suitable land area for oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) establishment, with estimates as high as 238 million ha. To promote oil palm development, Brazil launched the Sustainable Palm Oil Production Program (SPOPP) in 2010 and delineated 30 million ha for its growth that excluded forested areas and indigenous reserves. Here we examine oil palm expansion (2006-2014) as well as the SPOPP's effectiveness in Pará, the major oil palm producing state in Brazil. By combining analyses of satellite imagery, land registration data, and site based interviews, we found that oil palm area expanded 205%. Although >50% of oil palm parcels were located within 0.5 km of intact forests, <5% of intact forests were converted by direct deforestation. In contrast, 15-90% of oil palm expansion in Asia and other Latin American countries came from directly converting forested lands. Direct intact forest conversion pre- and post-SPOPP declined from 4% to <1%; however, <1% of the 30 million ha promoted for oil palm was developed by 2014. To explore the major factors that may have constrained oil palm expansion under the SPOPP, we conducted microeconomic simulations of oil palm production, combined with interviews with actors/individuals from oil palm companies, civil society, researchers at universities and NGOs, and governmental agencies. Brazil's oil palm-deforestation dynamics, policies, and economic conditions will be discussed.

Molecular and phenotypic characterization of strains of Shigella sonnei isolated over 31 years suggests the circulation of two prevalent subtypes in São Paulo State, Brazil.

PubMed

Seribelli, Amanda Ap; Frazão, Miliane R; Medeiros, Marta I Cazentini; Falcão, Juliana P

2016-07-01

Shigella sonnei is an important causative agent of bacillary dysentery worldwide that has recently emerged in developing countries. However, there are few studies that have characterized strains ofS. sonnei isolated in Brazil. The aims of this study were to assess the presence of 12 virulence genes, the antimicrobial resistance profile against 16 drugs and the genotypic diversity of strains of S. sonnei isolated in this country. Seventy-two strains of S. sonnei isolated from human diarrhoeic faeces in São Paulo State, Brazil from 1983-2014 were studied. All of the strains contained the ipaH, iuc and sigA genes. The ipaBCD gene was detected in 19 % of the strains, the ial and virF genes in 18 % and the sen gene in 10 % of the strains. The set1A, set1B, pic,sepA and sat genes were not detected. A total of 42 (58.3 %) strains were resistant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Thirty (41.6 %) strains were resistant to tetracycline. The S. sonnei strains were grouped in two clusters called A and B by PFGE and ERIC-PCR, and the majority of the strains comprised in each cluster presented ≥80 % similarity. In conclusion, the pathogenic potential of the strains studied was highlighted by the presence of important virulence genes. The high rates of resistance to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and tetracycline are alarming once those drugs can be used in the treatment of shigellosis. The PFGE and ERIC-PCR results suggest that there are two prevalent subtypes in the studied strains of S. sonnei that differed little over 31 years and have been contaminating humans and causing diseases in São Paulo State, Brazil.

Effect of 10-Valent Pneumococcal Vaccine on Pneumonia among Children, Brazil

PubMed Central

Afonso, Eliane Terezinha; Minamisava, Ruth; Bierrenbach, Ana Luiza; Escalante, Juan Jose Cortez; Alencar, Airlane Pereira; Domingues, Carla Magda; Morais-Neto, Otaliba Libanio; Toscano, Cristiana Maria

2013-01-01

Pneumonia is most problematic for children in developing countries. In 2010, Brazil introduced a 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV10) to its National Immunization Program. To assess the vaccine’s effectiveness for preventing pneumonia, we analyzed rates of hospitalization among children 2–24 months of age who had pneumonia from all causes from January 2005 through August 2011. We used data from the National Hospitalization Information System to conduct an interrupted time-series analysis for 5 cities in Brazil that had good data quality and high PCV10 vaccination coverage. Of the 197,975 hospitalizations analyzed, 30% were for pneumonia. Significant declines in hospitalizations for pneumonia were noted in Belo Horizonte (28.7%), Curitiba (23.3%), and Recife (27.4%) but not in São Paulo and Porto Alegre. However, in the latter 2 cities, vaccination coverage was less than that in the former 3. Overall, 1 year after introduction of PCV10, hospitalizations of children for pneumonia were reduced. PMID:23628462

Substantial nitrogen pollution embedded in international trade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oita, Azusa; Malik, Arunima; Kanemoto, Keiichiro; Geschke, Arne; Nishijima, Shota; Lenzen, Manfred

2016-02-01

Anthropogenic emissions of reactive nitrogen to the atmosphere and water bodies can damage human health and ecosystems. As a measure of a nation’s contribution to this potential damage, a country’s nitrogen footprint has been defined as the quantity of reactive nitrogen emitted during the production, consumption and transportation of commodities consumed within that country, whether those commodities are produced domestically or internationally. Here we use global emissions databases, a global nitrogen cycle model, and a global input-output database of domestic and international trade to calculate the nitrogen footprints for 188 countries as the sum of emissions of ammonia, nitrogen oxides and nitrous oxide to the atmosphere, and of nitrogen potentially exportable to water bodies. Per-capita footprints range from under 7 kg N yr-1 in some developing countries to over 100 kg N yr-1 in some wealthy nations. Consumption in China, India, the United States and Brazil is responsible for 46% of global emissions. Roughly a quarter of the global nitrogen footprint is from commodities that were traded across country borders. The main net exporters have significant agricultural, food and textile exports, and are often developing countries, whereas important net importers are almost exclusively developed economies. We conclude that substantial local nitrogen pollution is driven by demand from consumers in other countries.

78 FR 33063 - Initiation of Five-Year (“Sunset”) Review

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-03

...-Year Review which covers the same orders. DATES: Effective Date: June 1, 2013. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION... Case No. Country Product Department contact A-351-832 731-TA-953....... Brazil Carbon and Certain Jennifer Moats Alloy Steel Wire Rod (202) 482-5047 (2nd Review). C-351-833 701-TA-417....... Brazil Carbon...

School Effectiveness Research Findings in the Portuguese Speaking Countries: Brazil and Portugal

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferrão, Maria Eugénia

2014-01-01

This paper provides findings of research on school effectiveness and discusses implications for evaluation in Brazil and Portugal. Most findings reported over the last decade have been published in Brazilian or Portuguese refereed journals. Thus, a brief literature review of such studies enables that knowledge to reach international scholars and…

A checklist of chiggers from Brazil, including new records (Acari: Trombidiformes: Trombiculidae and Leeuwenhoekiidae)

PubMed Central

Jacinavicius, Fernando de Castro; Bassini-Silva, Ricardo; Mendoza-Roldan, Jairo Alfonso; Pepato, Almir Rogério; Ochoa, Ronald; Welbourn, Cal; Barros-Battesti, Darci Moraes

2018-01-01

Abstract A checklist of the family Trombiculidae and Leeuwenhoekiidae is presented, containing 63 species in 30 genera of chiggers from 80 different hosts and 146 localities in Brazil. The type locality and depository are provided, including new locality and host records for the country. PMID:29670435

Dynamics of Cattle Production in Brazil

PubMed Central

McManus, Concepta; Barcellos, Júlio Otávio Jardim; Formenton, Bruna Krummenauer; Hermuche, Potira Meirelles; de Carvalho, Osmar Abílio; Guimarães, RenatoFontes; Gianezini, Miguelangelo; Dias, Eduardo Antunes; Lampert, Vinícius do Nascimento; Zago, Daniele; Neto, José Braccini

2016-01-01

Movement of livestock production within a country or region has implications for genetics, adaptation, well-being, nutrition, and production logistics, particularly in continental-sized countries, such as Brazil. Cattle production in Brazil from 1977 to 2011 was spatialized, and the annual midpoint of production was calculated. Changes in the relative production and acceleration of production were calculated and spatialized using ARCGIS®. Cluster and canonical discriminant analyses were performed to further highlight differences between regions in terms of cattle production. The mean production point has moved from the Center of Minas Gerais State (in the southeast region) to the North of Goiás State (in the Midwest region). This reflects changes in environmental factors, such as pasture type, temperature and humidity. Acceleration in production in the northern region of Brazil has remained strong over the years. More recently, “traditional” cattle-rearing regions, such as the south and southeast, showed a reduction in growth rates as well as a reduction in herd size or internal migration over the period studied. These maps showed that this movement tends to be gradual, with few regions showing high acceleration or deceleration rates. PMID:26814797

A triumphant decline?: Tetanus among slaves and freeborn in Brazil.

PubMed

Read, Ian

2012-12-01

Tetanus and other widespread endemic diseases of Brazil's early national period speak to intimate details of common life and give clues to big, vexing questions, such as why Brazil's population expanded dramatically at the turn of the twentieth century. Tetanus was for a long time one of Brazil's deadliest afflictions, especially among infants, but historians know very little about it. Using archival sources from across the Empire and early Republic, this article argues tetanus disproportionately killed the enslaved population, but gradually diminished in virulence for nearly all groups across the country by the second half of the 1800s. This decline should be attributed only partially to medical knowledge. Rather, indirect demographic and technological changes were more important factors in Brazil.

Nuclear safeguards in Brazil and Argentina: 25 years of ABACC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kassenova, Togzhan

2017-11-01

As possessors of advanced nuclear technology, Brazil and Argentina bear special responsibility for helping the international community and neighbors in their region feel confident that their nuclear programs are peaceful, secure, and safe. Over the past 25 years, the Brazilian-Argentine Agency for Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials (ABACC) has played an indispensable role in strengthening such confidence by implementing nuclear safeguards in the two countries. Today, ABACC carries out safeguards inspections at a total of 76 nuclear facilities in Brazil and Argentina. This article describes how Brazil and Argentina view trends in the global nonproliferation regime and international nuclear safeguards, and explains how these trends relate to unique challenges and opportunities facing Brazil, Argentina, and ABACC.

[Regulating the internet: a comparative analysis of Brazil, Chile, Spain, the US, and France].

PubMed

Segurado, Rosemary; Lima, Carolina Silva Mandú de; Ameni, Cauê S

2015-12-01

Global governance is of key concern in the current debate over the workings of the world's computer network, and Brazil has played a notable role in this process, especially after approval of the Marco Civil da Internet (law 12.965, april 23, 2014), which defines Brazil's regulatory framework for the internet. Dubbed the internet bill of rights, this law sets out the principles, guarantees, rights, and duties of internet users and providers in Brazil. Based on the fundamental categories of net neutrality, internet users' right to privacy, and copyright discussions from the perspective of intellectual property, the article offers a comparative analysis of regulations in five countries: Brazil, Chile, Spain, the US, and France.

Assumptions in the European Union biofuels policy: frictions with experiences in Germany, Brazil and Mozambique.

PubMed

Franco, Jennifer; Levidow, Les; Fig, David; Goldfarb, Lucia; Hönicke, Mireille; Mendonça, Maria Luisa

2010-01-01

The biofuel project is an agro-industrial development and politically contested policy process where governments increasingly become global actors. European Union (EU) biofuels policy rests upon arguments about societal benefits of three main kinds - namely, environmental protection (especially greenhouse gas savings), energy security and rural development, especially in the global South. Each argument involves optimistic assumptions about what the putative benefits mean and how they can be fulfilled. After examining those assumptions, we compare them with experiences in three countries - Germany, Brazil and Mozambique - which have various links to each other and to the EU through biofuels. In those case studies, there are fundamental contradictions between EU policy assumptions and practices in the real world, involving frictional encounters among biofuel promoters as well as with people adversely affected. Such contradictions may intensify with the future rise of biofuels and so warrant systematic attention.

Brazil: An emerging partner in drug R&D.

PubMed

Rodrigues, Debora G

2009-08-01

With the need for innovation in drug discovery and development and changes to patent laws that are enabling greater IP protection, many pharmaceutical companies are pursuing international cooperation agreements with foreign companies as part of a global development strategy to enhance product pipelines. Brazil, the largest pharmaceutical market in Latin America, has improved its infrastructure, scientific and technological capabilities and has created a sustainable strategy to promote drug discovery research activities. Positive economic growth, a stable political structure, expanding patient populations an increasing governmental, private and foreign investments are creating a new landscape for drug R&D in the country. As Brazilian-based pharmaceutical companies become further established, new opportunities for partnerships and collaborative alliances are becoming available for the drug discovery process, as well as for co-manufacturing and co-marketing efforts. This feature review provides an overview of the Brazilian pharmaceutical market and discusses current opportunities, emerging trends and challenges for this expanding market.

Financial support of graduate programs in Brazil: quo vadis?

PubMed

Helene, A F; Xavier, G F

2006-07-01

Graduate programs provide the highest level of formal education and thus are crucial for the development of any country. However, official Brazilian data clearly show a dramatic decrease in the number and values of scholarships available to graduate programs in Brazil over the last few years, despite the importance and growth of such programs. Between 1995 and 2004, investment by the Coordenadoria de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal do Ensino Superior (CAPES, subordinate to the Ministry of Education and Culture) in funding scholarships, corrected for inflation in the period, actually decreased by 51%. In addition, during the period between 1994 and 2004, there was a loss of about 60% in the purchasing power of the graduate scholarships provided by CAPES and the National Council for Science and Technology (CNPq). To reverse this trend, we propose the development of sectorial funding for Brazilian graduate programs to guarantee the availability and continuity of financial support for this strategic activity.

SEEG initiative estimates of Brazilian greenhouse gas emissions from 1970 to 2015.

PubMed

de Azevedo, Tasso Rezende; Costa Junior, Ciniro; Brandão Junior, Amintas; Cremer, Marcelo Dos Santos; Piatto, Marina; Tsai, David Shiling; Barreto, Paulo; Martins, Heron; Sales, Márcio; Galuchi, Tharic; Rodrigues, Alessandro; Morgado, Renato; Ferreira, André Luis; Barcellos E Silva, Felipe; Viscondi, Gabriel de Freitas; Dos Santos, Karoline Costal; Cunha, Kamyla Borges da; Manetti, Andrea; Coluna, Iris Moura Esteves; Albuquerque, Igor Reis de; Junior, Shigueo Watanabe; Leite, Clauber; Kishinami, Roberto

2018-05-29

This work presents the SEEG platform, a 46-year long dataset of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in Brazil (1970-2015) providing more than 2 million data records for the Agriculture, Energy, Industry, Waste and Land Use Change Sectors at national and subnational levels. The SEEG dataset was developed by the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian civil society initiative, based on the IPCC guidelines and Brazilian National Inventories embedded with country specific emission factors and processes, raw data from multiple official and non-official sources, and organized together with social and economic indicators. Once completed, the SEEG dataset was converted into a spreadsheet format and shared via web-platform that, by means of simple queries, allows users to search data by emission sources and country and state activities. Because of its effectiveness in producing and making available data on a consistent and accessible basis, SEEG may significantly increase the capacity of civil society, scientists and stakeholders to understand and anticipate trends related to GHG emissions as well as its implications to public policies in Brazil.

SEEG initiative estimates of Brazilian greenhouse gas emissions from 1970 to 2015

PubMed Central

de Azevedo, Tasso Rezende; Costa Junior, Ciniro; Brandão Junior, Amintas; Cremer, Marcelo dos Santos; Piatto, Marina; Tsai, David Shiling; Barreto, Paulo; Martins, Heron; Sales, Márcio; Galuchi, Tharic; Rodrigues, Alessandro; Morgado, Renato; Ferreira, André Luis; Barcellos e Silva, Felipe; Viscondi, Gabriel de Freitas; dos Santos, Karoline Costal; Cunha, Kamyla Borges da; Manetti, Andrea; Coluna, Iris Moura Esteves; Albuquerque, Igor Reis de; Junior, Shigueo Watanabe; Leite, Clauber; Kishinami, Roberto

2018-01-01

This work presents the SEEG platform, a 46-year long dataset of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in Brazil (1970–2015) providing more than 2 million data records for the Agriculture, Energy, Industry, Waste and Land Use Change Sectors at national and subnational levels. The SEEG dataset was developed by the Climate Observatory, a Brazilian civil society initiative, based on the IPCC guidelines and Brazilian National Inventories embedded with country specific emission factors and processes, raw data from multiple official and non-official sources, and organized together with social and economic indicators. Once completed, the SEEG dataset was converted into a spreadsheet format and shared via web-platform that, by means of simple queries, allows users to search data by emission sources and country and state activities. Because of its effectiveness in producing and making available data on a consistent and accessible basis, SEEG may significantly increase the capacity of civil society, scientists and stakeholders to understand and anticipate trends related to GHG emissions as well as its implications to public policies in Brazil. PMID:29809176

[Globalization in medical research].

PubMed

Ehni, H-J; Wiesing, U

2018-03-01

The globalization of clinical research is gaining momentum. In particular, emerging countries, such as Brazil, India, Russia and South Africa show a significant increase in clinical trials. This trend is generating various ethical problems, which are examined in the present article. Sometimes, generally accepted ethical rules, such as the evaluation of clinical trials by ethics commissions are not respected and sometimes conflicts are generated which are difficult to resolve. For instance, it is controversial which standard of care researchers and sponsors have to provide in an international study. These conflicts are exacerbated by a fundamental dilemma: more research on diseases prevalent in developing and emerging countries is necessary. At the same time, the protection of study participants in those countries creates particular challenges. In recent years, international commissions and guidelines have achieved significant progress in solving these conflicts; however, the further development has to be analyzed very carefully. Incentives for better research on neglected diseases have to be created. Undesirable developments and abuse have to be prevented by appropriate international ethical standards.

Population genetic structure of Helicobacter pylori strains from Portuguese-speaking countries.

PubMed

Oleastro, Mónica; Rocha, Raquel; Vale, Filipa F

2017-08-01

The human gastric colonizer Helicobacter pylori is useful to track human migrations given the agreement between the bacterium phylogeographic distribution and human migrations. As Portugal was an African and Brazilian colonizer for over 400 years, we hypothesized that Portuguese isolates were likely genetically closer with those from countries colonized by Portuguese in the past. We aimed to characterize the population structure of several Portuguese-speaking countries, including Portugal, Brazil, Angola, and Cape Verde. We included strains isolated in Portugal from Portuguese and from former Portuguese colonies. These strains were typed by multilocus sequence typing (MLST) for seven housekeeping genes. We also retrieved from Multi Locus Sequence Typing Web site additional housekeeping gene sequences, namely from Angola and Brazil. We provided evidence that strains from Portuguese belong to hpEurope and that the introgression of hpEurope in non-European countries that speak Portuguese is low, except for Brazil and Cape Verde, where hpEurope accounted for one quarter and one half of the population, respectively. We found genetic similarity for all strains from Portuguese-speaking countries that belong to hpEurope population. Moreover, these strains showed a predominance of ancestral Europe 2 (AE2) over ancestral Europe 1 (AE1), followed by ancestral Africa 1. H. pylori is a useful marker even for relative recent human migration events and may become rapidly differentiated from founder populations. H. pylori from Portuguese-speaking countries assigned to hpEurope appears to be a hybrid population resulting from the admixture of AE1, AE2 and ancestral hpAfrica1. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in BRIC countries: the cases of Brazil, Russia, India, and China.

PubMed

Richeldi, Luca; Rubin, Adalberto Sperb; Avdeev, Sergey; Udwadia, Zarir F; Xu, Zuo Jun

2015-09-24

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), the prototype of interstitial lung diseases, has the worst prognosis and is the only interstitial lung disease for which approved pharmacological treatments are available. Despite being considered a rare disease, IPF patients pose major challenges to both physicians and healthcare systems. It is estimated that a large number of IPF patients reside in BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) given their overall total population of approximately 3 billion inhabitants. Nevertheless, the limited availability of chest imaging in BRIC countries is considered a chief obstacle to diagnosis, since high-resolution computed tomography of the chest is the key diagnostic test for IPF. Further, obtaining reliable lung function tests and providing treatment access is difficult in the more rural areas of these countries. However, IPF might represent an opportunity for BRIC countries: the exponentially increasing demand for the enrollment of IPF patients in clinical trials of new drugs is predicted to face a shortage of patients - BRIC countries may thus play a crucial role in advancing towards a cure for IPF.

Patient Blood Management: An International Perspective.

PubMed

Eichbaum, Quentin; Murphy, Michael; Liu, Yu; Kajja, Isaac; Hajjar, Ludhmila Abrahao; Smit Sibinga, Cees Th; Shan, Hua

2016-12-01

This article describes practices in patient blood management (PBM) in 4 countries on different continents that may provide insights for anesthesiologists and other physicians working in global settings. The article has its foundation in the proceedings of a session at the 2014 AABB annual meeting during which international experts from England, Uganda, China, and Brazil presented the programs and implementation strategies in PBM developed in their respective countries. To systematize the review and enhance the comparability between these countries on different continents, authors were requested to respond to the same set of 6 key questions with respect to their country's PBM program(s). Considerable variation exists between these country regions that is driven both by differences in health contexts and by disparities in resources. Comparing PBM strategies from low-, middle-, and high-income countries, as described in this article, allows them to learn bidirectionally from one another and to work toward implementing innovative and preferably evidence-based strategies for improvement. Sharing and distributing knowledge from such programs will ultimately also improve transfusion outcomes and patient safety.

Cell phone recycling experiences in the United States and potential recycling options in Brazil.

PubMed

Silveira, Geraldo T R; Chang, Shoou-Yuh

2010-11-01

This paper presents an overview of cell phone recycling programs currently available in the United States. At the same time, it also provides analyses of the current recycling situation and possible recycling alternatives for Brazil. Although there are several recycling options in the United States, collection rates are still only 10% of all potential devices because customers are not aware of these possibilities. The whole system is financially based on reselling refurbished cell phones and recycled materials to developing countries which represent an effective and strong market. Several recyclers offer funds to collection partners who are either charities or who work with charities while obtaining the materials that they need in order to run their operations. A mobile phone recycling system for Brazil considering the United States experience and the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) principle is suggested. A deposit/refund/advance-recycling fee is proposed which might be implemented as a voluntary industrial initiative managed by PRO Brazil, a producer responsibility organization. One widespread public-private agreement will integrate all mobile phone stakeholders, and environmental education actions and promotional events will promote citizen's participation. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dams in the Amazon: Belo Monte and Brazil's hydroelectric development of the Xingu River Basin.

PubMed

Fearnside, Phillip M

2006-07-01

Hydroelectric dams represent major investments and major sources of environmental and social impacts. Powerful forces surround the decision-making process on public investments in the various options for the generation and conservation of electricity. Brazil's proposed Belo Monte Dam (formerly Kararaô) and its upstream counterpart, the Altamira Dam (better known by its former name of Babaquara) are at the center of controversies on the decision-making process for major infrastructure projects in Amazonia. The Belo Monte Dam by itself would have a small reservoir area (440 km2) and large installed capacity (11, 181.3 MW), but the Altamira/Babaquara Dam that would regulate the flow of the Xingu River (thereby increasing power generation at Belo Monte) would flood a vast area (6140 km2). The great impact of dams provides a powerful reason for Brazil to reassess its current policies that allocate large amounts of energy in the country's national grid to subsidized aluminum smelting for export. The case of Belo Monte and the five additional dams planned upstream (including the Altamira/Babaquara Dam) indicate the need for Brazil to reform its environmental assessment and licensing system to include the impacts of multiple interdependent projects.

"Health for All" in England and Brazil?

PubMed

Duncan, Peter; Bertolozzi, Maria Rita; Cowley, Sarah; Egry, Emiko Yoshikawa; Chiesa, Anna Maria; de Siqueira França, Francisco Oscar

2015-01-01

This article discusses the achievements and challenges that England and Brazil face in relation to their capacity to address inequalities in health through health promotion and public health policies. Using secondary data (policy texts and related documents), this article contextualizes, explains, and critically appraises health promotion and public health efforts for the reduction of inequalities in health in the 2 countries. A historic documentary analysis was undertaken, with hermeneutics as the methodological framework. The global economic crisis has prompted the so-called developed economies of Europe to reconsider their economic and social priorities. England represents a state facing this kind of challenge. Equally, Brazil is assuming new positions not only on the world stage but also in terms of the relationship it has with its citizens and the priorities it has for state welfare. The United Kingdom continues to finance a health care system allowing universal access in the form of the National Health Service, and state concern about the public health task of reducing inequalities has recently been underlined in policy. For Brazil, although there have been recent achievements related to population access to healthcare, challenges continue, especially with regard to the quality of care. © SAGE Publications 2015.

Geriatrics in Brazil: a big country with big opportunities.

PubMed

Garcez-Leme, Luiz E; Leme, Mariana Deckers; Espino, David V

2005-11-01

Brazil has approximately 180 million inhabitants, of whom 15.2 million are aged 60 and older and 1.9 million are aged 80 and older. By 2025, the Brazilian elderly population is expected to grow to more than 32 million. Brazil has many problems related to its geographic and population size. Great distances between major cities, marked cultural and racial heterogeneity between the various geographic regions, high poverty levels, and decreasing family size all combine to put pressure on the medical and social services that can be made available to the elder population. Less than 500 Brazilian physicians are certified as geriatricians, translating into one geriatrician for every 37,000 elderly Brazilians. Beside 15 geriatric medicine residencies a larger number of fellowship programs exist, and these programs are in high demand, with more than 20 candidates per position, indicating new opportunities for growth in elder care. In addition, geriatric initiatives such as the annual elder vaccination program and the elder statute, recently approved by the Brazilian Congress, indicate that geriatric care in Brazil is entering a new era of growth and development. Although the challenges remain great, there are opportunities for Brazilian geriatrics and gerontology.

[Reflections on drug policies in Brazil].

PubMed

de Andrade, Tarcísio Matos

2011-12-01

This article contains some reflections on drug policies in Brazil. In the first two chapters, taking the needle exchange programs (SEPs) as the starting point, the author discusses the trajectory of the Harm Reduction Policy in Brazil and the role played in it by the Department of STD, AIDS and Viral Hepatitis. The third chapter examines the actions developed by the National Coordination of Mental Health, Alcohol and Other Drugs and the Office of Drug Policies - SENAD, after the retraction of the Department of STD and AIDS from drug policies, as well as the introduction of PEAD and the "Crack Plan" in the country. In the fourth and fifth chapters the provisions of the current Brazilian policy on drugs and its limitations related mainly to the fragility of the Family Health Strategy are discussed, and some of the actions foreseen in the PEAD and the "Crack Plan" are critically analyzed. In the sixth chapter the author examines the effects of repression in the name of combating trafficking in the Brazilian policy on drugs having as background of the marginalization and social exclusion of users. Finally, some proposals are presented for the Alcohol and Drugs Policy in Brazil.

Overview of feedstock research in the United States, Canada, and Brazil

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ferrell, J.; Tardif, M.L.; Couto, L.

1993-12-31

This is an overview of the current biomass feedstock efforts in Brazil, Canada, and the United States. The report from Brazil provides an historical perspective of incentive programs, the charcoal and fuelwood energy programs, the alcohol program, and other biomass energy efforts. The efforts in Brazil, particularly with the sugar cane to ethanol and the charcoal and fuelwood programs, dwarfs other commercial biomass systems in the Americas. One of the bright spots in the future is the Biomass Integrated Gasification/Gas Turbine Electricity Project initially funded in 1992. The sugar cane-based ethanol industry continues to develop higher yielding cane varieties andmore » more efficient microorganisms to convert the sugar cane carbohydrates into alcohol. In Canada a number of important institutions and enterprises taking part in the economical development of the country are involved in biomass research and development including various aspects of the biomass such as forestry, agricultural, industrial, urban, food processing, fisheries and peat bogs. Biomass feedstock research in the United States is evolving to reflect Department of Energy priorities. Greater emphasis is placed on leveraging research with the private sector contributing a greater share of funds, for both research and demonstration projects. The feedstock program, managed by ORNL, is focused on limited model species centered at a regional level using a multidisciplinary approach. Activities include a stronger emphasis on emerging environmental issues such as biodiversity, sustainability and habitat management. DOE also is a supporter of the National Biofuels Roundtable, which is developing principles for producing biomass energy in an economically viable and ecologically sound manner. Geographical Information Systems are also being developed as tools to quantify and characterize the potential supply of energy crops in various regions.« less

Rapid Spread of Zika Virus in The Americas--Implications for Public Health Preparedness for Mass Gatherings at the 2016 Brazil Olympic Games.

PubMed

Petersen, Eskild; Wilson, Mary E; Touch, Sok; McCloskey, Brian; Mwaba, Peter; Bates, Matthew; Dar, Osman; Mattes, Frank; Kidd, Mike; Ippolito, Giuseppe; Azhar, Esam I; Zumla, Alimuddin

2016-03-01

Mass gatherings at major international sporting events put millions of international travelers and local host-country residents at risk of acquiring infectious diseases, including locally endemic infectious diseases. The mosquito-borne Zika virus (ZIKV) has recently aroused global attention due to its rapid spread since its first detection in May 2015 in Brazil to 22 other countries and other territories in the Americas. The ZIKV outbreak in Brazil, has also been associated with a significant rise in the number of babies born with microcephaly and neurological disorders, and has been declared a 'Global Emergency by the World Health Organization. This explosive spread of ZIKV in Brazil poses challenges for public health preparedness and surveillance for the Olympics and Paralympics which are due to be held in Rio De Janeiro in August, 2016. We review the epidemiology and clinical features of the current ZIKV outbreak in Brazil, highlight knowledge gaps, and review the public health implications of the current ZIKV outbreak in the Americas. We highlight the urgent need for a coordinated collaborative response for prevention and spread of infectious diseases with epidemic potential at mass gatherings events. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

[Physico-chemical and microbiological evaluation of UHT milk commercialized in three Mercosul countries (Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay)].

PubMed

Domareski, Jackson Luiz; Bandiera, Nataly Simões; Sato, Rafael Tamostu; Aragon-Alegro, Lina Casale; de Santana, Elsa Helena Walter

2010-09-01

With the aim to evaluate the physico-chemical and microbiological quality of UHT milk commercialized in three countries of Mercosul, samples of four different brands were acquired in each city (Foz do Iguaçu-Brazil, Puerto Iguazú-Argentina and Ciudad del Este-Paraguay) and submitted to the following analysis: fat content, titratable acidity, milk ethanol stability (with the following ethanol concentrations: 68, 72, 76 and 80%), total dry extract and no fat dry extract, pH, density and freezing point. Counts of mesophilic and psychrotrophic microorganisms were already done. In the physico-chemical evaluation of UHT milk, a significant number of samples were in disagree with the established patterns for fat content, no fat dry extract, density and freezing point. Except one brand from Brazil, milk samples showed stability to 68% ethanol. pH averages of Brazilian milk were in agree with the patterns and highest values were observed in samples acquired on Paraguay. Observing the microbiological analysis, 37.5%, 62.5% and 12.5% of samples acquired from Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay, respectively, showed counts above the established patterns for mesophilic microorganisms. Counts of psychrotrophic microorganisms were in disagree with the established patterns in 50%, 50% and 100% of samples from Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay, respectively.

An international surgical collaboration: humanitarian surgery in Brazil.

PubMed

De Rosa, A; Meyer, A; Seabra, A P; Sorge, A; Hack, J; Soares, L A; Chalub, S; Malcher, F; Kingsnorth, A

2016-08-01

Brazil is the fifth most populous country in the world with widespread regional and social inequalities. Regional disparities in healthcare are unacceptably large, with the remote and poor regions of the north and northeast having reduced life expectancy compared to the south region, where life expectancy approaches that of rich countries. We report our experience of a humanitarian surgery mission to the Amazonas state, in the northwest part of Brazil. In August 2014, a team of seven consultant surgeons, and two trainees with the charity 'International Hernia', visited three hospitals in the Amazonas state to provide hernia surgery and training. Eighty-nine hernias were repaired in 74 patients (female = 22, male = 52) with a median age of 44 years (range 2-83 years). Nine patients underwent more than one type of hernia repair, and there were 9 laparoscopic inguinal and ventral incisional hernia repairs. Local doctors were trained in hernia repair techniques, and an International Hernia Symposium was held at the University of the State of Amazonas, Manaus. The humanitarian mission provided hernia surgery to an underserved population in Brazil and training to local doctors, building local sustainability. Continued cooperation between host and international surgeons for future missions to Brazil will ensure continuing surgical training and technical assistance.

Potential impact of a 9-valent HPV vaccine in HPV-related cervical disease in 4 emerging countries (Brazil, Mexico, India and China).

PubMed

Serrano, Beatriz; Alemany, Laia; Ruiz, Patricia Alonso de; Tous, Sara; Lima, Marcus Aurelho; Bruni, Laia; Jain, Asha; Clifford, Gary M; Qiao, You Lin; Weiss, Thomas; Bosch, F Xavier; de Sanjosé, Silvia

2014-12-01

We estimated the potential impact of an investigational 9-valent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine (HPVs 6/11/16/18/31/33/45/52/58) in HPV-related cervical disease in Brazil, Mexico, India and China, to help to formulate recommendations on cervical cancer prevention and control. Estimations for invasive cervical cancer (ICC) were based on an international study including 1356 HPV-positive cases for the four countries altogether, and estimations for precancerous cervical lesions were extracted from a published meta-analysis including 6 025 HPV-positive women from the four mentioned countries. Globocan 2012 and 2012 World Population Prospects were used to estimate current and future projections of new ICC cases. Combined proportions of the 9 HPV types in ICC were 88.6% (95%CI: 85.2-91.3) in Brazil, 85.7% (82.3-88.8) in Mexico, 92.2% (87.9-95.3) in India and 97.3% (93.9-99.1) in China. The additional HPV 31/33/45/52/58 proportions were 18.8% (15.3-22.7) in Brazil, 17.6% (14.2-21.2) in Mexico, 11.3% (7.5-16.1) in India and 11.9% (7.5-17.2) in China. HPV6 and 11 single types were not identified in any of the samples. Proportion of the individual 7 high risk HPV types included in the vaccine varied by cytological and histological grades of HPV-positive precancerous cervical lesions. HPV 16 was the dominant type in all lesions, with contributions in low grade lesions ranging from 16.6%(14.3-19.2) in Mexico to 39.8% (30.0-50.2) in India, and contributions in high grade lesions ranging from 43.8% (36.3-51.4) in Mexico to 64.1% (60.6-67.5) in Brazil. After HPV 16, variations in other majors HPV types were observed by country, with an under representation of HPV 18 and 45 compared to ICC. The addition of HPVs 31/33/45/52/58 to HPV types included in current vaccines could increase the ICC preventable fraction in a range of 12 to 19% across the four countries, accounting the 9-types altogether 90% of ICC cases. Assuming the same degree of efficacy of current vaccines, the implementation of the 9-valent HPV vaccine in Brazil, Mexico, India and China would substantially impact on the reduction of the world cervical cancer burden. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Tracking the return of Aedes aegypti to Brazil, the major vector of the dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses

PubMed Central

Gloria-Soria, Andrea; Caccone, Adalgisa; Evans, Benjamin; Schama, Renata; Martins, Ademir Jesus; Powell, Jeffrey R.

2017-01-01

Background Aedes aegypti, commonly known as “the yellow fever mosquito”, is of great medical concern today primarily as the major vector of dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses, although yellow fever remains a serious health concern in some regions. The history of Ae. aegypti in Brazil is of particular interest because the country was subjected to a well-documented eradication program during 1940s-1950s. After cessation of the campaign, the mosquito quickly re-established in the early 1970s with several dengue outbreaks reported during the last 30 years. Brazil can be considered the country suffering the most from the yellow fever mosquito, given the high number of dengue, chikungunya and Zika cases reported in the country, after having once been declared “free of Ae. aegypti”. Methodology/Principal findings We used 12 microsatellite markers to infer the genetic structure of Brazilian Ae. aegypti populations, genetic variability, genetic affinities with neighboring geographic areas, and the timing of their arrival and spread. This enabled us to reconstruct their recent history and evaluate whether the reappearance in Brazil was the result of re-invasion from neighboring non-eradicated areas or re-emergence from local refugia surviving the eradication program. Our results indicate a genetic break separating the northern and southern Brazilian Ae. aegypti populations, with further genetic differentiation within each cluster, especially in southern Brazil. Conclusions/Significance Based on our results, re-invasions from non-eradicated regions are the most likely scenario for the reappearance of Ae. aegypti in Brazil. While populations in the northern cluster are likely to have descended from Venezuela populations as early as the 1970s, southern populations seem to have derived more recently from northern Brazilian areas. Possible entry points are also revealed within both southern and northern clusters that could inform strategies to control and monitor this important arbovirus vector. PMID:28742801

Tracking the return of Aedes aegypti to Brazil, the major vector of the dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses.

PubMed

Kotsakiozi, Panayiota; Gloria-Soria, Andrea; Caccone, Adalgisa; Evans, Benjamin; Schama, Renata; Martins, Ademir Jesus; Powell, Jeffrey R

2017-07-01

Aedes aegypti, commonly known as "the yellow fever mosquito", is of great medical concern today primarily as the major vector of dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses, although yellow fever remains a serious health concern in some regions. The history of Ae. aegypti in Brazil is of particular interest because the country was subjected to a well-documented eradication program during 1940s-1950s. After cessation of the campaign, the mosquito quickly re-established in the early 1970s with several dengue outbreaks reported during the last 30 years. Brazil can be considered the country suffering the most from the yellow fever mosquito, given the high number of dengue, chikungunya and Zika cases reported in the country, after having once been declared "free of Ae. aegypti". We used 12 microsatellite markers to infer the genetic structure of Brazilian Ae. aegypti populations, genetic variability, genetic affinities with neighboring geographic areas, and the timing of their arrival and spread. This enabled us to reconstruct their recent history and evaluate whether the reappearance in Brazil was the result of re-invasion from neighboring non-eradicated areas or re-emergence from local refugia surviving the eradication program. Our results indicate a genetic break separating the northern and southern Brazilian Ae. aegypti populations, with further genetic differentiation within each cluster, especially in southern Brazil. Based on our results, re-invasions from non-eradicated regions are the most likely scenario for the reappearance of Ae. aegypti in Brazil. While populations in the northern cluster are likely to have descended from Venezuela populations as early as the 1970s, southern populations seem to have derived more recently from northern Brazilian areas. Possible entry points are also revealed within both southern and northern clusters that could inform strategies to control and monitor this important arbovirus vector.

Modelling of point and diffuse pollution: application of the Moneris model in the Ipojuca river basin, Pernambuco State, Brazil.

PubMed

de Lima Barros, Alessandra Maciel; do Carmo Sobral, Maria; Gunkel, Günter

2013-01-01

Emissions of pollutants and nutrients are causing several problems in aquatic ecosystems, and in general an excess of nutrients, specifically nitrogen and phosphorus, is responsible for the eutrophication process in water bodies. In most developed countries, more attention is given to diffuse pollution because problems with point pollution have already been solved. In many non-developed countries basic data for point and diffuse pollution are not available. The focus of the presented studies is to quantify nutrient emissions from point and diffuse sources in the Ipojuca river basin, Pernambuco State, Brazil, using the Moneris model (Modelling Nutrient Emissions in River Systems). This model has been developed in Germany and has already been implemented in more than 600 river basins. The model is mainly based on river flow, water quality and geographical information system data. According to the Moneris model results, untreated domestic sewage is the major source of nutrients in the Ipojuca river basin. The Moneris model has shown itself to be a useful tool that allows the identification and quantification of point and diffuse nutrient sources, thus enabling the adoption of measures to reduce them. The Moneris model, conducted for the first time in a tropical river basin with intermittent flow, can be used as a reference for implementation in other watersheds.

The Association of Health and Income in the Elderly: Experience from a Southern State of Brazil

PubMed Central

Fillenbaum, Gerda G.; Blay, Sergio L.; Pieper, Carl F.; King, Katherine E.; Andreoli, Sergio B.; Gastal, Fábio L.

2013-01-01

Objectives In high income, developed countries, health status tends to improve as income increases, but primarily through the 50th-66th percentile of income. It is unclear whether the same limitation holds in middle income countries, and for both general assessments of health and specific conditions. Methods Data were obtained from Brazil, a middle income country. In-person interviews with a representative sample of community residents age ≥60 (N=6963), in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, obtained information on demographic characteristics including household income and number of persons supported, general health status (self-rated health, functional status), depression, and seven physician-diagnosed, self-reported health conditions. Analyses used household income (adjusted for number supported and economies of scale) together with higher order income terms, and controlled for demographics and comorbidities, to ascertain nonlinearity between income and general and specific health measures. Results In fully controlled analyses income was associated with general measures of health (linearly with self-rated health, nonlinearly with functional status). For specific health measures there was a consistent linear association with depression, pulmonary disorders, renal disorders, and sensory impairment. For musculoskeletal, cardiovascular (negative association), and gastrointestinal disorders this association no longer held when comorbidities were controlled. There was no association with diabetes. Conclusion Contrary to findings in high income countries, the association of household-size-adjusted income with health was generally linear, sometimes negative, and sometimes absent when comorbidities were controlled. PMID:24058505

Disparities in birth weight and gestational age by ethnic ancestry in South American countries.

PubMed

Wehby, George L; Gili, Juan A; Pawluk, Mariela; Castilla, Eduardo E; López-Camelo, Jorge S

2015-03-01

We examine disparities in birth weight and gestational age by ethnic ancestry in 2000-2011 in eight South American countries. The sample included 60,480 singleton live births. Regression models were estimated to evaluate differences in birth outcomes by ethnic ancestry controlling for time trends. Significant disparities were found in seven countries. In four countries-Brazil, Ecuador, Uruguay, and Venezuela-we found significant disparities in both low birth weight and preterm birth. Disparities in preterm birth alone were observed in Argentina, Bolivia, and Colombia. Several differences in continuous birth weight, gestational age, and fetal growth rate were also observed. There were no systematic patterns of disparities between the evaluated ethnic ancestry groups across the study countries, in that no racial/ethnic group consistently had the best or worst outcomes in all countries. Racial/ethnic disparities in infant health are common in several South American countries. Differences across countries suggest that racial/ethnic disparities are driven by social and economic mechanisms. Researchers and policymakers should acknowledge these disparities and develop research and policy programs to effectively target them.

International Symposium on Harmonization of Education and Training Programmes in Information Science, Librarianship and Archival Studies. (Paris, France, October 8-12, 1984). Final Report and Introductory Statement.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Paris (France). General Information Programme.

This two-part document comprises an introductory statement and final report of a meeting that promoted the harmonized development, at regional and national levels, of theoretical and practical training programs for all kinds of information specialists. The meeting was attended by 19 experts from 17 countries--Brazil, Ethiopia, France, India,…

Anthropometric indices among schoolchildren from a municipality in Southern Brazil: a descriptive analysis using the LMS method☆

PubMed Central

Barbosa, Valter Cordeiro; Lopes, Adair da Silva; Fagundes, Ricardo Rosa; de Campos, Wagner

2014-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To describe the percentile values for body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-height (WHtR) of children from Colombo, Brazil, and compare them with data of children from other countries. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study with a random sample of 2,035 children aged 6-11 years. Age- and sex-specific smoothed percentiles curves for BMI, WC and WHtR were created using the LMS method. Values of 10th, 50th and 90th percentiles from Brazilian children were compared with data from other countries. RESULTS: There was a trend of increasing BMI and WC with age in both sexes. WHtR remained constant with advancing age in boys and girls. Comparison of the growth pattern among countries showed clear differences. Southern Brazil boys and girls had elevated 90th percentile values for BMI, which was similar to German children and higher than the North American and World Health Organization percentile values. However, children from this study had intermediate values for WC and WHtR in comparison to children from other countries. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated BMI values were observed among southern Brazilian children, but WC and WHtR percentile values were lower in southern Brazilian children than in children from other countries. Interventions at different levels should be made to avoid a probable increase of nutritional disorders (especially general obesity) in the next years. PMID:25510997

The Changing Impact of Family Size on Adolescents’ Schooling: Assessing the Exogenous Variation in Fertility Using Twins in Brazil

PubMed Central

de Souza, Laetícia R.

2015-01-01

Researchers have long been interested in the influence of family size on children’s educational outcomes. Simply put, theories have suggested that resources are diluted within families that have more children. Although the empirical literature on developed countries has generally confirmed the theoretical prediction that family size is negatively related to children’s education, studies focusing on developing societies have reported heterogeneity in this association. Recent studies addressing the endogeneity between family size and children’s education have also cast doubt on the homogeneity of the negative role of family size on children’s education. The goal of this study is to examine the causal effect of family size on children’s education in Brazil over a 30-year period marked by important social and demographic change, and across extremely different regions within the country. We implement a twin birth instrumental variable approach to the nationally representative 1977–2009 PNAD data. Our results suggest an effect of family size on education that is not uniform throughout a period of significant social, economic, and demographic change. Rather, the causal effect of family size on adolescents’ schooling resembles a gradient that ranges from positive to no effect, trending to negative. PMID:22810834

The World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in the Brazilian political agenda, 2003-2005.

PubMed

Teixeira, Luiz Antônio da Silva; Paiva, Carlos Henrique Assunção; Ferreira, Vanessa Nolasco

2017-09-21

This study analyses the development of a tobacco-control agenda in Brazil following the country's participation in the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC). This process started with the diplomatic negotiations for the participation of Brazil in the treaty, in 2003, and its ratification by the National Congress, in 2005, and was marked by substantial controversies between public health players, who are accountable for tobacco-control actions, and the high echelon of Brazilian diplomacy, emissaries of the tobacco industry, representatives of small tobacco farmers from the Southern region of the country, congress representatives, senators and ministers. The study is based on the contributions of John W. Kingdon on the development of an agenda for the formulation of public policies. It took into account secondary references, legislative and institutional sources from the 1995 to 2005 period. It concluded that the association of tobacco-related healthcare actions by technically skilled officials, the involvement of the high echelon of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (policy flow), the initiative for the establishment of the WHO-FCTC (problem flow), and the existence of a favorable environment in both, executive and legislative (political flow), opened a window of opportunity for WHO-FCTC ratification and its inclusion in the government decision agenda.

Academic and research capacity development in Earth observation for environmental management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cassells, Gemma; Woodhouse, Iain H.; Patenaude, Genevieve; Tembo, Mavuto

2011-10-01

Sustainable environmental management is one of the key development goals of the 21st century. The importance of Earth observation (EO) for addressing current environmental problems is well recognized. Most developing countries are highly susceptible to environmental degradation; however, the capacity to monitor these changes is predominantly located in the developed world. Decades of aid and effort have been invested in capacity development (CD) with the goal of ensuring sustainable development. Academics, given their level of freedom and their wider interest in teaching and knowledge transfer, are ideally placed to act as catalyst for capacity building. In this letter, we make a novel investigation into the extent to which the EO academic research community is engaged in capacity development. Using the Web of Knowledge publication database (http://wok.mimas.ac.uk), we examined the geographical distribution of published EO related research (a) by country as object of research and (b) by authors' country of affiliation. Our results show that, while a significant proportion of EO research (44%) has developing countries as their object of research, less than 3% of publications have authors working in, or affiliated to, a developing country (excluding China, India and Brazil, which not only are countries in transition, but also have well established EO capacity). These patterns appear consistent over the past 20 years. Despite the wide awareness of the importance of CD, we show that significant progress on this front is required. We therefore propose a number of recommendations and best practices to ease collaboration and open access.

Opinions and attitudes on the relationship between spirituality, religiosity and health: A comparison between nursing students from Brazil and Portugal.

PubMed

Cordero, Rocío de Diego; Romero, Bárbara Badanta; de Matos, Filomena Adelaide; Costa, Emília; Espinha, Daniele Corcioli Mendes; Tomasso, Claudia de Souza; Lucchetti, Alessandra Lamas Granero; Lucchetti, Giancarlo

2018-03-08

To compare the opinions and attitudes of Portuguese-speaking nursing students from Brazil and Portugal on the relationship between religiosity/spirituality and the ability to approach these issues with patients, in their undergraduate training and practice. Although there are studies investigating nursing students' opinions concerning religiosity and spirituality in clinical practice, few have investigated if there are cross-cultural differences between countries. Observational, cross-sectional and multicenter study carried out in 2010 and 2011 in Brazil and in 2016 in Portugal. A total of 260 third and fourth year nursing students (139 from Portugal and 121 from Brazil) from four nursing schools were included. Religious beliefs (Duke Religion Index), attitudes and opinions about spirituality and health (Curlin's questionnaire) were assessed. A comparison between students from both countries was carried out. Significant differences were found between nursing students from Brazil and Portugal, which are countries with the same language, but with different nursing training programs and population characteristics. Brazilian students were more religious and have stronger opinions on the influence and appropriateness of spirituality in clinical practice than Portuguese students. However, both groups of students indicated they should be prepared to address religiosity and spirituality with patients, that these subjects should be included in the curriculum and that they were not properly prepared to address spiritual issues. Although different opinions and attitudes were found between Brazilian and Portuguese nursing students, more training in these issues should be implemented in the undergraduate education. Cross-cultural studies could help fostering a broad discussion in the field. These findings could contribute to raise awareness on the importance of improving the training of relational competencies that prepare students to address the dimension of spirituality and religiosity with their patients. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The next mesothelioma wave: mortality trends and forecast to 2030 in Brazil.

PubMed

Algranti, Eduardo; Saito, Cézar Akiyoshi; Carneiro, Ana Paula Scalia; Moreira, Bruno; Mendonça, Elizabete Medina Coeli; Bussacos, Marco Antonio

2015-10-01

There are limited data on mesothelioma mortality in industrializing countries, where, at present, most of the asbestos consumption occurs. To analyze temporal trends and to calculate mortality rates from mesothelioma and cancer of the pleura in Brazil from 2000 to 2012 and to estimate future mortality rates. We retrieved records of deaths from mesothelioma (ICD-10C45) and cancer of the pleura (ICD-10C38.4) from 2000 to 2012 in adults aged 30 years and over. Crude and age-standardized mortality rates (ASMR) were calculated. Rate ratios of mean crude mortality for selected municipalities were compared to the Brazilian rate. A regression was carried out of the annual number of deaths against asbestos consumption using a Generalized Additive Model (GAM). The best model was chosen to estimate the future burden and peak period of deaths. There were 929C45 and 1379 C38.4 deaths. The ratio of men to women for C45 was 1.4. A positive trend in C45 numbers was observed in Brazil (p=0.0012), particularly in São Paulo (p=0.0004) where ASMRs presented an increasing linear trend (p=0.0344). Selected municipalities harboring asbestos manipulation presented 3.7-11 fold rate ratios of C45 compared to Brazil. GAM presented best fits for latencies of 34 years or more. It is estimated that the peak incidence of C45 mortality will occur between 2021 and 2026. The observed ASMRs and the gender ratio close to 1 suggest underreporting. Even so, deaths are increasing and mesothelioma clusters were identified. Compared to industrialized countries Brazil displays a 15-20 year lag in estimated peak mesothelioma mortality which is consistent with the lag of asbestos peak consumption in the country. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Global toxocariasis research trends from 1932 to 2015: a bibliometric analysis.

PubMed

Zyoud, Sa'ed H

2017-02-23

Toxocariasis is a highly prevalent parasitic disease in the tropical regions of the world, with its impact on public health being typically underestimated. To better recognise the trends and characteristics of toxocariasis research, this study is a bibliometric analysis of the global toxocariasis research. Searches were completed on April 5, 2016, using the Scopus database. A search without any language restriction was performed to extract publications dealing with toxocariasis. Terms related to toxocariasis were used to perform a title keyword search. A total of 2765 publications comprising 11 document types and published between 1932 and 2015 were included in the analysis. Articles were the most popular document form, accounting for 83.62% of all publications, followed by letters (3.80%) and reviews (3.4%). The annual number of research publications increased from 30 in 1980 to 111 in 2015, indicating that the number of publications on toxocariasis has increased slowly over the past 35 years. The United States of America and Japan are the predominant countries of origin, with 303 articles and 207 articles, respectively, followed by Brazil and the United Kingdom, with 180 (6.5%) each. The h-index for all the publications was 60. The highest h-index were for publications from the United Kingdom (h-index value = 43) and the United States (h-index value = 39); these two countries were also involved with the highest number of international collaborations, with 27 and 28 countries, respectively. Developed countries, including the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy, are the world's leaders in toxocariasis research, contributing to more than 34% of the total published literature. In addition, developing countries, such as Brazil, Poland, Argentina and India, showed a noticeable increase in published papers on toxocariasis research in recent years. A push for more collaboration is needed to achieve a superior research strategy related to toxocariasis at the global level from the viewpoint of epidemiological data, clinical aspects, medical ecology, molecular aspects and treatment practices associated with toxocariasis.

Belgian citizens' and broiler producers' perceptions of broiler chicken welfare in Belgium versus Brazil.

PubMed

Vanhonacker, F; Tuyttens, F A M; Verbeke, Wim

2016-07-01

New EU regulations require more stringent country-of-origin labeling, while imports of broiler meat from non-EU countries are increasing. In light of these trends, we have studied citizens' and producers' perceptions of broiler meat originating from Belgium versus Brazil and their perception of broiler production in Belgium versus Brazil. A particular focus was the association between country of origin and perceived level of animal welfare. We also investigated the perception of scaling-up and outdoor access in terms of perceived level of animal welfare. Cross-sectional survey data was collected among Flemish citizens (n = 541) and broiler producers (n = 114). In accordance with literature on general farm animal welfare, both stakeholder types claimed to allocate great importance to broiler welfare and generally agreed with the Welfare Quality model of broiler welfare. Citizens disagreed with the producers that 1) consumers are not willing to pay more for higher welfare products, 2) that broilers suffer little, 3) that broiler welfare in current Belgian production units is generally non-problematic, 4) that scaling-up production units would not have a positive impact on profitability nor a profoundly negative impact on broiler welfare, and 5) that the impact of providing broilers with outdoor access is negative for consumers, farmers, and broilers. Country of origin had a strong influence on the perception of both broiler production and broiler meat. Belgian citizens, and producers (much more than citizens) considered nearly all aspects related to broiler production and broiler meat to be significantly superior for chicken produced in Belgium compared to Brazil. Further research should focus on how these perceptions influence purchase intentions and production decisions. Future avenues for research are to quantify market opportunities for country-of-origin labeling and to investigate to which extent stakeholders' perceptions correspond with reality. © 2016 Poultry Science Association Inc.

Primary health care lessons from the northeast of Brazil: the Agentes de Saúde Program.

PubMed

Cufino Svitone, E; Garfield, R; Vasconcelos, M I; Araujo Craveiro, V

2000-05-01

Market-led economic reforms are usually viewed as being in conflict with government-stimulated socioeconomic development for disadvantaged groups. Nevertheless, Ceará, a poor state in the Northeast of Brazil, has since 1987 pursued both of those strategies simultaneously. One part of that approach has been a program of nurse-directed auxiliary health workers serving about 5 million people--almost all the persons outside the capital city and half of those in the capital. The system requires that the auxiliaries, called agentes de saúde, live in the local communities that they serve. The health agents visit each home once a month to carry out a small number of priority health activities. While health agent positions are in high demand, the minimum-wage salary that the agents receive makes up only a small portion of the state budget. A key aspect of the system is timely and comprehensive information, which is based on agent visits and is managed by trained nurses. Since the health agents system was launched, there has been a rapid decline in infant mortality, a rapid rise in immunization, identification of bottlenecks limiting the utilization of other medical resources, and timely interventions in times of crisis. The health agents system has combined administrative decentralization with financial centralization during a period of electoral democratization. The system has strengthened Ceará's commitment to primary care even as market-oriented changes have reduced the overall role of government. The Ceará program is being copied throughout the Northeast and other regions of Brazil. The key role that nurses play in the Ceará program in organizing and leading a system of basic primary care in poor neighborhoods and rural areas may provide useful lessons for other countries. In addition, Ceará does not have many of the favorable characteristics of other countries that have successfully invested in primary health care. Ceará thus represents a more achievable model for other countries, where, like Brazil, income, educational levels, and land tenure equity are limited.

Can carbon emissions from tropical deforestation drop by 50% in 5 years?

PubMed

Zarin, Daniel J; Harris, Nancy L; Baccini, Alessandro; Aksenov, Dmitry; Hansen, Matthew C; Azevedo-Ramos, Claudia; Azevedo, Tasso; Margono, Belinda A; Alencar, Ane C; Gabris, Chris; Allegretti, Adrienne; Potapov, Peter; Farina, Mary; Walker, Wayne S; Shevade, Varada S; Loboda, Tatiana V; Turubanova, Svetlana; Tyukavina, Alexandra

2016-04-01

Halving carbon emissions from tropical deforestation by 2020 could help bring the international community closer to the agreed goal of <2 degree increase in global average temperature change and is consistent with a target set last year by the governments, corporations, indigenous peoples' organizations and non-governmental organizations that signed the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF). We assemble and refine a robust dataset to establish a 2001-2013 benchmark for average annual carbon emissions from gross tropical deforestation at 2.270 Gt CO2 yr(-1). Brazil did not sign the NYDF, yet from 2001 to 2013, Brazil ranks first for both carbon emissions from gross tropical deforestation and reductions in those emissions - its share of the total declined from a peak of 69% in 2003 to a low of 20% in 2012. Indonesia, an NYDF signatory, is the second highest emitter, peaking in 2012 at 0.362 Gt CO2 yr(-1) before declining to 0.205 Gt CO2 yr(-1) in 2013. The other 14 NYDF tropical country signatories were responsible for a combined average of 0.317 Gt CO2 yr(-1) , while the other 86 tropical country non-signatories were responsible for a combined average of 0.688 Gt CO2 yr(-1). We outline two scenarios for achieving the 50% emission reduction target by 2020, both emphasizing the critical role of Brazil and the need to reverse the trends of increasing carbon emissions from gross tropical deforestation in many other tropical countries that, from 2001 to 2013, have largely offset Brazil's reductions. Achieving the target will therefore be challenging, even though it is in the self-interest of the international community. Conserving rather than cutting down tropical forests requires shifting economic development away from a dependence on natural resource depletion toward recognition of the dependence of human societies on the natural capital that tropical forests represent and the goods and services they provide. © 2015 The Authors. Global Change Biology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Using open source data for flood risk mapping and management in Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whitley, Alison; Malloy, James; Chirouze, Manuel

2013-04-01

Whitley, A., Malloy, J. and Chirouze, M. Worldwide the frequency and severity of major natural disasters, particularly flooding, has increased. Concurrently, countries such as Brazil are experiencing rapid socio-economic development with growing and increasingly concentrated populations, particularly in urban areas. Hence, it is unsurprising that Brazil has experienced a number of major floods in the past 30 years such as the January 2011 floods which killed 900 people and resulted in significant economic losses of approximately 1 billion US dollars. Understanding, mitigating against and even preventing flood risk is high priority. There is a demand for flood models in many developing economies worldwide for a range of uses including risk management, emergency planning and provision of insurance solutions. However, developing them can be expensive. With an increasing supply of freely-available, open source data, the costs can be significantly reduced, making the tools required for natural hazard risk assessment more accessible. By presenting a flood model developed for eight urban areas of Brazil as part of a collaboration between JBA Risk Management and Guy Carpenter, we explore the value of open source data and demonstrate its usability in a business context within the insurance industry. We begin by detailing the open source data available and compare its suitability to commercially-available equivalents for datasets including digital terrain models and river gauge records. We present flood simulation outputs in order to demonstrate the impact of the choice of dataset on the results obtained and its use in a business context. Via use of the 2D hydraulic model JFlow+, our examples also show how advanced modelling techniques can be used on relatively crude datasets to obtain robust and good quality results. In combination with accessible, standard specification GPU technology and open source data, use of JFlow+ has enabled us to produce large-scale hazard maps suitable for business use and emergency planning such as those we show for Brazil.

Cognitive Assessment of Brazilian Children and Youth: Past and Present Perspectives and Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wechsler, Solange Muglia; de Cassia Nakano, Tatiana

2016-01-01

The history of cognitive assessment in Brazil is described through evolutionary movements or waves, when tests were just imported and translated from other countries, criticized, and later evaluated in laboratories on test construction founded at private and state universities. The presence of high standards for test use place Brazil at the…

Multisource drug policies in Latin America: survey of 10 countries.

PubMed Central

Homedes, Núria; Ugalde, Antonio

2005-01-01

Essential drug lists and generic drug policies have been promoted as strategies to improve access to pharmaceuticals and control their rapidly escalating costs. This article reports the results of a preliminary survey conducted in 10 Latin American countries. The study aimed to document the experiences of different countries in defining and implementing generic drug policies, determine the cost of registering different types of pharmaceutical products and the time needed to register them, and uncover the incentives governments have developed to promote the use of multisource drugs. The survey instrument was administered in person in Chile, Ecuador and Peru and by email in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Uruguay. There was a total of 22 respondents. Survey responses indicated that countries use the terms generic and bioequivalence differently. We suggest there is a need to harmonize definitions and technical concepts. PMID:15682251

Postmarketing surveillance in developing countries.

PubMed

Meirik, O

1988-01-01

Authorities in developing countries need to monitor the possible adverse consequences of the increasing use of drugs in their countries. Definite differences exist in the risk-benefit ratios for developed and developing countries, particularly with fertility-regulating drugs. Some physicians believe that the increased risk of thrombosis associated with oral contraceptives (OCs) should not be considered as important in developing countries due to the fact that the background level of venous thrombosis is so low in developing countries that even a 50- or 100-fold increase in relative risk would neither be detectable nor important compared to the risk of unwanted pregnancy. In addition, evidence exists of geographically linked factors in the etiology of some adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Authorities in Brazil, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand, and Venezuela have established voluntary ADR reporting systems. Several developing countries also actively follow the World Health Organization's International Drug Monitoring Program and have access to its data base. A number of other methodological approaches to postmarketing surveillance are in use in addition to voluntary ADR reporting systems. These include cross-sectional surveys, studies of temporal and geographic correlations of diseases and drug use, and case-control and cohort studies. Each of these approaches offers specific advantages. Postmarketing surveillance should begin at the time new drugs, including contraceptive methods are introduced. Surveillance needs to be an integral part of plans for the introduction of new contraceptive methods in settings where the infrastructure to carry out such surveillance is in place. 3 major public sector agencies, Family Health International, the Population Council, and the World Health Organization, developed a plan to obtain funding for the postmarketing surveillance of a contraceptive implant, Norplant-R. A controlled cohort study will be conducted in 6-10 developing countries. The pilot phase of the surveillance began in 1987. The project objective is to detect possible adverse effects of Norplant-R as well as any health benefits of the method. It also will assess the feasibility of the cohort methodology for postmarketing surveillance in developing countries.

Empirical support for global integrated assessment modeling: Productivity trends and technological change in developing countries' agriculture and electric power sectors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sathaye, Jayant A.

2000-04-01

Integrated assessment (IA) modeling of climate policy is increasingly global in nature, with models incorporating regional disaggregation. The existing empirical basis for IA modeling, however, largely arises from research on industrialized economies. Given the growing importance of developing countries in determining long-term global energy and carbon emissions trends, filling this gap with improved statistical information on developing countries' energy and carbon-emissions characteristics is an important priority for enhancing IA modeling. Earlier research at LBNL on this topic has focused on assembling and analyzing statistical data on productivity trends and technological change in the energy-intensive manufacturing sectors of five developing countries,more » India, Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia, and South Korea. The proposed work will extend this analysis to the agriculture and electric power sectors in India, South Korea, and two other developing countries. They will also examine the impact of alternative model specifications on estimates of productivity growth and technological change for each of the three sectors, and estimate the contribution of various capital inputs--imported vs. indigenous, rigid vs. malleable-- in contributing to productivity growth and technological change. The project has already produced a data resource on the manufacturing sector which is being shared with IA modelers. This will be extended to the agriculture and electric power sectors, which would also be made accessible to IA modeling groups seeking to enhance the empirical descriptions of developing country characteristics. The project will entail basic statistical and econometric analysis of productivity and energy trends in these developing country sectors, with parameter estimates also made available to modeling groups. The parameter estimates will be developed using alternative model specifications that could be directly utilized by the existing IAMs for the manufacturing, agriculture, and electric power sectors.« less

The Brazilian market of herbal medicinal products and the impacts of the new legislation on traditional medicines.

PubMed

Carvalho, Ana Cecília Bezerra; Lana, Túlio Nader; Perfeito, João Paulo Silvério; Silveira, Dâmaris

2018-02-15

the herbal medicinal products (HMP) market is expanding in the world, an expansion that has not occurred in Brazil when considering the number of licensed products. Despite being a megadiverse country, the number of HMP licensed in Brazil is small, and the number of HMP obtained from native species is even smaller. A new legislation for herbal products licensing, which divides the products into two categories, Herbal Medicine (HM) and Traditional Herbal Product (THP) was launched in Brazil focusing on traditional use, as well as a law regulating the use of biodiversity and traditional knowledge. to evaluate the situation of HMP licensed in Brazil and to make a comparison with the data obtained in 2008 and 2011, discussing the evolution of the licensed products and the possible impacts of the new legislation. a survey was carried out in the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (Anvisa) database to verify the HMP licensed in Brazil in September 2016. The data obtained were compared with two surveys previously published. There are 332 single, and 27 combined HM, totaling 359 HM licensed in Brazil. There is no THP notified in Anvisa's system yet. There are 214 HM classified as nonprescription (OTC), while 145 are sold under prescription, one of them with prescription retention. There are 101 plant species licensed as active in HM in Brazil, 39 of which are native, adapted or cultivated. The most licensed plant species is Mikania glomerata Spreng., with 25 HM licensed. The article includes tables with plant species that have derivatives licensed as simple and combined HM, their therapeutic classification, the native plant species indication and the distribution of the companies by Brazilian regions. There are few licensed HM in Brazil, and this number has been decreasing in recent years. It is expected that the data obtained, together with the changes promoted in sanitary and environmental rules, will help to develop and regulate HMP chain in Brazil. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Toxoplasmosis in humans and animals in Brazil: high prevalence, high burden of disease, and epidemiology.

PubMed

Dubey, J P; Lago, E G; Gennari, S M; Su, C; Jones, J L

2012-09-01

Infections by the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii are widely prevalent in humans and animals in Brazil. The burden of clinical toxoplasmosis in humans is considered to be very high. The high prevalence and encouragement of the Brazilian Government provides a unique opportunity for international groups to study the epidemiology and control of toxoplasmosis in Brazil. Many early papers on toxoplasmosis in Brazil were published in Portuguese and often not available to scientists in English-speaking countries. In the present paper we review prevalence, clinical spectrum, molecular epidemiology, and control of T. gondii in humans and animals in Brazil. This knowledge should be useful to biologists, public health workers, veterinarians, and physicians. Brazil has a very high rate of T. gondii infection in humans. Up to 50% of elementary school children and 50-80% of women of child-bearing age have antibodies to T. gondii. The risks for uninfected women to acquire toxoplasmosis during pregnancy and fetal transmission are high because the environment is highly contaminated with oocysts. The burden of toxoplasmosis in congenitally infected children is also very high. From limited data on screening of infants for T. gondii IgM at birth, 5-23 children are born infected per 10 000 live births in Brazil. Based on an estimate of 1 infected child per 1000 births, 2649 children with congenital toxoplasmosis are likely to be born annually in Brazil. Most of these infected children are likely to develop symptoms or signs of clinical toxoplasmosis. Among the congenitally infected children whose clinical data are described in this review, several died soon after birth, 35% had neurological disease including hydrocephalus, microcephaly and mental retardation, 80% had ocular lesions, and in one report 40% of children had hearing loss. The severity of clinical toxoplasmosis in Brazilian children may be associated with the genetic characteristics of T. gondii isolates prevailing in animals and humans in Brazil.

Agenda 21: biotechnology at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development.

PubMed

Taylhardat, A R; Zilinskas, R A

1992-04-01

Preparation has yet to be completed for the 1992 Earth Summit, UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Nonetheless, it has been planned as a forum in which recommendations will be made to governments and international organizations on how to alleviate environmental damage caused by human activities and how to prevent future damage without retarding development in the Third World. It will declare basic principles for national and individual conduct regarding environmental preservation and sustainable development; adopt international conventions to protect biodiversity and manage climatic change; lay out Agenda 21 activities as specified by UNCED; provide an agenda to help Third World governments manage environmental matters; and provide an agenda for improving the transfer of technology to developing countries. Where biotechnology is concerned, scientists and policy makers in developing countries have shown their interest. Limited resources and capabilities, however, constrain their abilities to engage in serious research and development. International organizations such as the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) may help UNCED and developing countries with biotechnology. Since 1986, UNIDO has held the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) as a special project. The ICGEB conducts research and development (R&D) on high priority topics in developing countries; trains scientific and technical personnel from member countries in advanced biotechnology techniques; helps member countries implement and operate ICGEB-affiliated R&D and training centers; and manages an information exchange for internationally affiliated centers. To maximize the potential of biotechnology to help Third World nations clear their environments of pollutants while safely exploiting natural resources, organizations should promote full use of available training resources; promote biosafety and the dissemination of information on risk assessment and risk management; increase funding to support existing information networks; help make equipment and supplies available to developing countries; help bridge the gap between research and applications by encouraging universities and research institutions to market their research; and promote entrepreneurship in developing countries.

Phylogeography of Dengue Virus Serotype 4, Brazil, 2010–2011

PubMed Central

Nunes, Marcio Roberto Teixeira; Faria, Nuno Rodrigues; Vasconcelos, Helena Baldez; Medeiros, Daniele Barbosa de Almeida; Silva de Lima, Clayton Pereira; Carvalho, Valéria Lima; Pinto da Silva, Eliana Vieira; Cardoso, Jedson Ferreira; Sousa, Edivaldo Costa; Nunes, Keley Nascimento Barbosa; Rodrigues, Sueli Guerreiro; Abecasis, Ana Barroso; Suchard, Marc A.; Lemey, Philippe

2012-01-01

Dengue virus serotype 4 (DENV-4) reemerged in Roraima State, Brazil, 28 years after it was last detected in the country in 1982. To study the origin and evolution of this reemergence, full-length sequences were obtained for 16 DENV-4 isolates from northern (Roraima, Amazonas, Pará States) and northeastern (Bahia State) Brazil during the 2010 and 2011 dengue virus seasons and for an isolate from the 1982 epidemic in Roraima. Spatiotemporal dynamics of DENV-4 introductions in Brazil were applied to envelope genes and full genomes by using Bayesian phylogeographic analyses. An introduction of genotype I into Brazil from Southeast Asia was confirmed, and full genome phylogeographic analyses revealed multiple introductions of DENV-4 genotype II in Brazil, providing evidence for >3 introductions of this genotype within the last decade: 2 from Venezuela to Roraima and 1 from Colombia to Amazonas. The phylogeographic analysis of full genome data has demonstrated the origins of DENV-4 throughout Brazil. PMID:23092706

Access to Contraceptives in Countries With Restrictive Abortion Laws: The Case of Brazil.

PubMed

Borges, Ana Luiza Vilela; Tsui, Amy Ong; Fujimori, Elizabeth; Hoga, Luiza Akiko Komura

2016-01-01

We aimed to determine whether current contraceptive use is affected by a history of abortion for women from a country with abortion-restricted laws. This is an analysis of 2006 Brazil Demographic and Health Survey. Nonpregnant women whose first pregnancy occurred in the previous 5 years were selected for this study (n = 2,181). We used propensity score matching to compare current contraceptive use among women with induced or spontaneous abortion and women with no abortion. We found differences in the use, but women with a history of abortion did not report more effective contraceptive than women with no abortion, as we expected.

Promoting and regulating generic medicines: Brazil in comparative perspective.

PubMed

da Fonseca, Elize Massard; Shadlen, Kenneth C

2017-04-20

Promoting the use of generic drugs can constitute a core instrument for countries' national pharmaceutical policies, one that reduces drug expenditure while expanding health care access. Despite the potential importance of such policy measures and the differences among national practices, scholars embarking on comparative analysis lack a roadmap for determining which dimensions of generic drug policy to assess and compare. This report fills that gap by considering national rules and regulations across four dimensions deemed crucial to any evaluation: demonstrated therapeutic equivalence; pharmaceutical packaging and labeling; drug prescription; and drug substitution. Furthermore, this report examines how the diverse interests of public and private sector stakeholders might shape generic drug policy and its implementation. To illustrate the challenges and conflicts behind policy development and implementation, this report focuses on the case of Brazil.

[Polyphenol availability in fruits and vegetables consumed in Brazil].

PubMed

Faller, Ana Luísa Kremer; Fialho, Eliane

2009-04-01

To estimate total polyphenol availability in fruits and vegetables commonly consumed in Brazil and its regions, and to identify the main food sources that constitute food habits in this country. Total polyphenols were determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu method and the availability estimated according to the Pesquisa de Orçamentos Familiares 2002/ 2003 (2002/2003 Family Budget Survey). Twelve highly consumed food items were chosen, of which six were 'tropical fruits' and six were vegetables under the categories of 'leafy and flower vegetables', 'fruit vegetables' and 'tuberous vegetables'. Polyphenol quantification was performed with three independent experiments, each one in duplicate. The national polyphenol availability was estimated in grams per fresh weight of each analyzed food. Daily per capita availability in Brazil and its regions was calculated using the amount of polyphenol provided by the consumption of the 12 foods analyzed. Polyphenol contents of foods varied from 15.35 to 214.84 mg GAE/ 100 g of fresh weight. Polyphenol availability in Brazil, based on the amount in kilograms that is annually acquired in Brazil, of the 12 selected foods was 48.3 mg/ day, and the Southeast and Central-West regions had the highest and lowest values, respectively. Banana was the main polyphenol source consumed in Brazil, even though this pattern varied among regions. The estimated daily polyphenol availability in Brazil was similar to other countries. Differences observed among regions could be directly related to distinct cultural habits. Although there is no recommended daily availability of polyphenols, consumption of the recommended daily amount of fruits and vegetables can increase the availability of polyphenols 16 times, showing a clear relationship between the consumption of these food groups and the availability of beneficial bioactive compounds.

Phylodynamic analysis and molecular diversity of the avian infectious bronchitis virus of chickens in Brazil.

PubMed

Fraga, Aline Padilha de; Gräf, Tiago; Pereira, Cleiton Schneider; Ikuta, Nilo; Fonseca, André Salvador Kazantzi; Lunge, Vagner Ricardo

2018-07-01

Avian infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is the etiological agent of a highly contagious disease, which results in severe economic losses to the poultry industry. The spike protein (S1 subunit) is responsible for the molecular diversity of the virus and many sero/genotypes are described around the world. Recently a new standardized classification of the IBV molecular diversity was conducted, based on phylogenetic analysis of the S1 gene sequences sampled worldwide. Brazil is one of the biggest poultry producers in the world and the present study aimed to review the molecular diversity and reconstruct the evolutionary history of IBV in the country. All IBV S1 gene sequences, with local and year of collection information available on GenBank, were retrieved. Phylogenetic analyses were carried out based on a maximum likelihood method for the classification of genotypes occurring in Brazil, according to the new classification. Bayesian phylogenetic analyses were performed with the Brazilian clade and related international sequences to determine the evolutionary history of IBV in Brazil. A total of 143 Brazilian sequences were classified as GI-11 and 46 as GI-1 (Mass). Within the GI-11 clade, we have identified a potential recombinant strain circulating in Brazil. Phylodynamic analysis demonstrated that IBV GI-11 lineage was introduced in Brazil in the 1950s (1951, 1917-1975 95% HPD) and population dynamics was mostly constant throughout the time. Despite the national vaccination protocols, our results show the widespread dissemination and maintenance of the IBV GI-11 lineage in Brazil and highlight the importance of continuous surveillance to evaluate the impact of currently used vaccine strains on the observed viral diversity of the country. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Income-related inequalities in inadequate dentition over time in Australia, Brazil and USA adults.

PubMed

Peres, Marco A; Luzzi, Liana; Peres, Karen G; Sabbah, Wael; Antunes, Jose L; Do, Loc G

2015-06-01

To assess changes over time of the absolute and relative household income-related inequalities in inadequate dentition (ID) among Australians, Brazilians and USA adults. This study used nationwide oral health survey data from Australia (n = 1200 in 1999; n = 2729 in 2005), Brazil (n = 13 431 in 2003; n = 9779 in 2010) and USA (n = 2542 in 1999; n = 1596 in 2005). Absolute income inequalities were calculated using Absolute Concentration Index (ACI) and Slope Index of Inequality (SII), while relative inequalities were calculated using Relative Concentration Index (RCI) and Relative Index of Inequality (RII). Prevalence of ID in the studied period dropped from 8.7% to 3.1% in Australia; from 42.1% to 22.4% in Brazil; and remained stable in USA, nearly 8.0%. Absolute income inequalities were highest in Brazil, followed by the USA and Australia; relative inequalities were lower in Brazil than in Australia and the USA. ID was higher among Brazilian females (2010) and for the poorest group in all countries and periods. A remarkable reduction in absolute inequalities were found in Australia [Slope Index of Inequality (SII) and AIC 60%] and in Brazil (SII 25%; ACI 33%) while relative inequalities increased both in Australia (RCI and RII 40%) and in Brazil (RCI 24%; RII 38%). No changes in absolute and relative income inequalities were found in the USA. There were still persistent absolute and relative income inequalities in ID in all examined countries. There has been a reduction in absolute income inequalities in ID but an increase in relative income inequalities. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Palliative care research in Latin America and the Caribbean: from the beginning to the Declaration of Venice and beyond.

PubMed

Pastrana, Tania; De Lima, Liliana; Eisenchlas, Jorge; Wenk, Roberto

2012-03-01

Research in palliative care has increased significantly in the last decade, while the vast majority of the global disease burden occurs in developing countries. To explore the palliative care research activity in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) and its visibility in the international palliative care literature, with a special focus on research studies. A bibliometric analysis was conducted in MEDLINE(®), Embase(®), PsycINFO(®), and CINAHL(®). Inclusion criteria were: (1) articles published in peer-reviewed scientific journals; (2) main subject was palliative care; (3) research study; (4) the first author or coauthors was based in LAC; and/or (5) the data collected derived from LAC. One hundred six articles from 10 countries were identified in the literature research. The first publication dates from 1989 and was a qualitative study in Brazil. This study shows a modest contribution of publications from LAC. However, the volume of publications within the region is distributed unequally, reflecting the heterogeneity of the region: Brazil published more than half of the articles, while 35 countries have no publications. Most of the studies were quantitative research, predominantly cross-sectional studies. Qualitative studies often used interviews. Health care service was the most researched issue. Seventy percent of studies were carried out in institutions. Palliative care research should have a place in LAC. The development of a regional research agenda tailored to the needs and features of the region considering the health care structure and local resources available is indispensable.

Scientific integrity in Brazil.

PubMed

Lins, Liliane; Carvalho, Fernando Martins

2014-09-01

This article focuses on scientific integrity and the identification of predisposing factors to scientific misconduct in Brazil. Brazilian scientific production has increased in the last ten years, but the quality of the articles has decreased. Pressure on researchers and students for increasing scientific production may contribute to scientific misconduct. Cases of misconduct in science have been recently denounced in the country. Brazil has important institutions for controlling ethical and safety aspects of human research, but there is a lack of specific offices to investigate suspected cases of misconduct and policies to deal with scientific dishonesty.

Ongoing research in occupational health and environmental epidemiology in developing countries

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Levy, B.S.; Kjellstrom, T.; Forget, G.

Research in occupational health and environmental epidemiology can play an important role in furthering our understanding of occupational and environmental health problems. Research guides us in the recognition, management, and prevention of health problems. However, in developing countries, where rates of occupational and environmental illnesses and injuries are higher and where these problems are often more severe than in developed countries, research capabilities are less developed. In mid-1990, a project was undertaken to (a) document ongoing research in occupational health and environmental epidemiology in developing countries, (b) facilitate the exchange of information among researchers in this field, (c) stimulate research,more » and (d) avoid unnecessary duplication among researchers in this field. A questionnaire was mailed, the purpose of which was to learn the current status of research in developing countries and to develop a directory of such ongoing research. The questionnaire was sent to 1,528 individuals. Of the 500 research projects identified, 77% were investigating chemical hazards; 26%, physical hazards; 10%, biological hazards; 10%, psychosocial hazards (some projects addressed multiple hazards). The chemical hazards studied most frequently were dusts, pesticides, and lead. The greatest number of research projects were identified in China, India, Brazil, Korea, and Thailand. Most projects were descriptive or cross-sectional epidemiologic studies or industrial hygiene or exposure-assessment studies. The World Health Organization has published a directory of the specific research projects that were identified in this survey.« less

A Crude Reality; Exploring the Interdependencies of Energy (Oil), the Macro-Economy, and National Security

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-04-11

Policy (SWEEP) optimizing our own natural resources in the near term (oil, natural gas, coal, nuclear, wind, solar, hydro, geothermal and synthetics... geothermal and synthetics), and displaces the oil based economy with a long term energy transformation plan based on renewable energy, is vital to...climb and supply begins to diminish. Global energy demands will continue to rise as the developing economies of countries like Brazil, Russia, China

International energy outlook 1998

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1998-04-01

The International Energy Outlook 1998 (IEO98) presents an assessment by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) of the outlook for international energy markets through 2020. Projections in IEO98 are displaced according to six basic country groupings. The industrialized region includes projections for four individual countries -- the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Japan -- along with the subgroups Western Europe and Australasia (defined as Australia, New Zealand, and the US Territories). The developing countries are represented by four separate regional subgroups: developing Asia, Africa, Middle East, and Central and South America. China and India are represented in developing Asia. New tomore » this year`s report, country-level projections are provided for Brazil -- which is represented in Central and South America. Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union (EE/FSU) are considered as a separate country grouping. The report begins with a review of world trends in energy demand. Regional consumption projections for oil, natural gas, coal, nuclear power, and renewable energy (hydroelectricity, geothermal, wind, solar, and other renewables) are presented in five fuel chapters, with a review of the current status of each fuel on a worldwide basis. Summary tables of the IEO98 projections for world energy consumption, carbon emissions, oil production, and nuclear power generating capacity are provided in Appendix A. 88 figs., 77 tabs.« less

The genetic diversity of merozoite surface antigen 1 (MSA-1) among Babesia bovis detected from cattle populations in Thailand, Brazil and Ghana.

PubMed

Nagano, Daisuke; Sivakumar, Thillaiampalam; De De Macedo, Alane Caine Costa; Inpankaew, Tawin; Alhassan, Andy; Igarashi, Ikuo; Yokoyama, Naoaki

2013-11-01

In the present study, we screened blood DNA samples obtained from cattle bred in Brazil (n=164) and Ghana (n=80) for Babesia bovis using a diagnostic PCR assay and found prevalences of 14.6% and 46.3%, respectively. Subsequently, the genetic diversity of B. bovis in Thailand, Brazil and Ghana was analyzed, based on the DNA sequence of merozoite surface antigen-1 (MSA-1). In Thailand, MSA-1 sequences were relatively conserved and found in a single clade of the phylogram, while Brazilian MSA-1 sequences showed high genetic diversity and were dispersed across three different clades. In contrast, the sequences from Ghanaian samples were detected in two different clades, one of which contained only a single Ghanaian sequence. The identities among the MSA-1 sequences from Thailand, Brazil and Ghana were 99.0-100%, 57.5-99.4% and 60.3-100%, respectively, while the similarities among the deduced MSA-1 amino acid sequences within the respective countries were 98.4-100%, 59.4-99.7% and 58.7-100%, respectively. These observations suggested that the genetic diversity of B. bovis based on MSA-1 sequences was higher in Brazil and Ghana than in Thailand. The current data highlight the importance of conducting extensive studies on the genetic diversity of B. bovis before designing immune control strategies in each surveyed country.

A New Agenda for Teaching Public Administration and Public Policy in Brazil: Institutional Opportunities and Educational Reasons

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gomes, Sandra; Almeida, Lindijane S. B.; Lucio, Magda L.

2016-01-01

This article discusses the reasons and teaching objectives of an array of new undergraduate courses on public administration and public policy management which have emerged recently in Brazil. While in 2001 there were only two undergraduate courses teaching formal public administration in the country, by 2015, they had risen to 40, and also…

Brazil: Education in an Expanding Economy. Bulletin, 1959, No. 13

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Faust, Augustus F.

1959-01-01

Studies on education in other countries have long been a responsibility of the Office of Education. This present study is another contribution in the series. It is based on background information acquired by the author during 4 visits totaling 3 years of residence in Brazil, with a 1957 visit to obtain current first-hand data. The purpose of the…

Education Attainment in Brazil: The Experience of FUNDEF. OECD Economics Department Working Papers No. 424

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Mello, Luiz; Hoppe, Mombert

2005-01-01

For many years, Brazil lagged behind other middle-income countries in terms of school enrolment rates. But since 1998 policies have aimed at bridging this gap, in particular, with the implementation of FUNDEF, a fund for financing sub-national spending on primary and lower-secondary education. Using state- and municipality-level data during…

Proceedings of the fourth WHBBN workshop, Brazil 2010

Treesearch

Maria Isabel Moreno; Pablo Elizondo; C. John Ralph

2011-01-01

The fourth workshop of the Western Hemisphere Bird Banding Network (WHBBN) was held at the 25th International Ornithological Congress in Compos do Jordão, Brazil on August 22, 2010. 38 individuals representing 11 countries within the Americas attended the congress, as well as individuals from Australia and the UK. A total of 6 people were able to attend the workshop...

First record of Scybalocanthon nigriceps (Harold, 1868) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) in Rio Grande do Sul state, southern Brazil.

PubMed

Ferreira, Sheila C; Mare, Rocco A DI; Silva, Pedro G DA

2017-01-01

The dung beetle, Scybalocanthon nigriceps (Harold, 1868), is recorded in Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, for the first time, at the Moreno Fortes Biological Reserve, municipality of Dois Irmãos das Missões, northwest region of the state, expanding the area of occurrence and distribution of this species in the country.

Mapping the Future of Non-Formal Education and the Scientific Dissemination of Astronomy in Brazil: A Delphi Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marques, Joana Brás Varanda; de Freitas, Denise

2016-01-01

Non-formal education and the dissemination of science are increasingly gaining importance around the world. Whilst astronomy in Brazil is no exception, its growth has however been slow and dispersed, institutions and activities across the country are uncoordinated, and no source exists that integrates relevant information and knowledge. To address…

Accessibility and Affordability of Tertiary Education in Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Peru within a Global Context. Policy Research Working Paper 4517

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murakami, Yuki; Blom, Andreas

2008-01-01

This paper examines the financing of tertiary education in Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, comparing the affordability and accessibility of tertiary education with that in high-income countries. To measure affordability, the authors estimate education costs, living costs, grants, and loans. Further, they compute the participation rate,…

Progress in animal experimentation ethics: a case study from a Brazilian medical school and from the international medical literature.

PubMed

Ramalli, Edvaldo Luiz; Ho, Wanli; Alves, Mônica; Rocha, Eduardo Melani

2012-09-01

This study describes in Brazil and in the global biomedical community the time course of the development of animal research welfare guidelines. The database of the Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirao Preto (EC/FMRP-USP), Brazil, was surveyed since its inception in 2002 as the regulations became more stringent to provide better protection of animal research welfare at this institution. Medline database was evaluated to identify the number of publications in the period between 1968 and 2008 that used research animals and were in compliance with established ethics guidelines. The EC/FMRP-USP evaluated 979 projects up until 2009. Most of the applications came from Department of Physiology and the most frequently requested species was the rat. In 2004, national research funding agencies started to request prior approval from institutional review ethics committees prior to application review and this requirement became federal law in Brazil in 2008. The analysis of international publications revealed a relative reduction in studies involving research animals (18% in 1968 to 7.5% in 2008). The present work showed that in the last four decades major changes occurred in the guidelines dictating use of research animals occurred and they are being adopted by developing countries. Moreover, animal welfare concern in the scientific community preceded the introduction of journal guidelines for this purpose. Furthermore, in Brazil it was anticipated that laws were needed to protect animal research welfare from being not upheld.

The fiscal outcome of artificial conception in Brazil--creating citizens in developing countries.

PubMed

Kröger, G B; Ejzenberg, D

2012-01-01

Infertility is an important health issue, but only a small fraction of the affected population receives treatment in Brazil, because it is not covered by the government or private health insurance plans. We developed a generational accounting-based mathematical model to assess the direct economic result of creating a citizen through IVF in different economic scenarios, and the potential economic benefit generated by the individual and his/her future offspring. A mathematical model analyzes the revenues and expenses of an IVF-conceived individual over his lifetime. We calculated the net present value (NPV) of an IVF-conceived citizen, and this value corresponds to the fiscal contribution to the government by an individual, from birth through his predicted life expectancy. The calculation used discount rates of 4.0 and 7.0% to depreciate the money value by time. A 4.0% discount rate represents the most favorable economic scenario in Brazil, and it results in an NPV of US$ 61 428. A 7.0% discount rate represents a less favorable economic reality, and it results in a debit of U$ 563, but this debt may be compensated by his/her future offspring. The fiscal contribution generated by each IVF-conceived citizen can justify an initial government investment in infertility treatment. Poor economic times in Brazil can sometimes result in a fiscal debt from each new IVF-conceived child, but this initial expenditure may be compensated by the fiscal contribution in the next generation.

Learning Mathematics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lapointe, Archie E.; And Others

In 1990-91, 20 countries (Brazil, Canada, China, England, France, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Korea, Mozambique, Portugal, Scotland, Slovenia, Soviet Union, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the United States) surveyed the mathematics and science performance of 13-year-old students (and 14 countries also assessed 9-year-olds in the same…

Assessing the impact of cigarette package health warning labels: a cross-country comparison in Brazil, Uruguay and Mexico.

PubMed

Thrasher, James F; Villalobos, Victor; Szklo, André; Fong, Geoffrey T; Pérez, Cristina; Sebrié, Ernesto; Sansone, Natalie; Figueiredo, Valeska; Boado, Marcelo; Arillo-Santillán, Edna; Bianco, Eduardo

2010-01-01

To assess the impact of different health warning labels (HWL). Data from the International Tobacco Control Survey (ITC Survey) were analyzed from adult smokers in Brazil, Uruguay and Mexico, each of which used a different HWL strategy (pictures of human suffering and diseased organs; abstract pictorial representations of risk; and text-only messages, respectively). Main outcomes were HWL salience and cognitive impact. HWLs in Uruguay (which was the only country with a HWL on the front of the package) had higher salience than either Brazilian or Mexican packs. People at higher levels of educational attainment in Mexico were more likely to read the text-only HWLs whereas education was unassociated with salience in Brazil or Uruguay. Brazilian HWLs had greater cognitive impacts than HWLs in either Uruguay or Mexico. HWLs in Uruguay generated lower cognitive impacts than the text-only HWLs in Mexico. In Brazil, cognitive impacts were strongest among smokers with low educational attainment. This study suggests that HWLs have the most impact when they are prominent (i.e., front and back of the package) and include emotionally engaging imagery that illustrates negative bodily impacts or human suffering due to smoking.

Are country reputations for good and bad leadership on AIDS deserved? An exploratory quantitative analysis.

PubMed

Nattrass, Nicoli

2008-12-01

Some countries (e.g. Brazil) have good reputations on AIDS policy, whereas others, (notably South Africa) have been criticized for inadequate leadership. Cross-country regression analysis reveals that these 'poster children' for AIDS leadership have indeed performed better or worse than expected given their economic and institutional constraints and the demographic and health challenges facing them. Regressions were run on HAART coverage (number on highly active antiretroviral therapy as percentage of total need) and MTCTP coverage (pregnant HIV+ women accessing mother-to-child-transmission prevention services as percentage of total need). Brazil, Cambodia, Thailand and Uganda (all of whom have established reputations for good leadership on AIDS performed consistently better than expected-as did Burkina-Faso, Suriname, Paraguay Costa Rica, Mali and Namibia. South Africa, which has the worst reputation for AIDS leadership, performed significantly below expectations-as did Uruguay and Trinidad and Tobago. The paper thus confirms much of the conventional wisdom on AIDS leadership at country level and suggests new areas for research.

Biotechnology Patenting in the BRICS Countries: Strategies and Dynamics.

PubMed

Streltsova, Ekaterina; Linton, Jonathan D

2018-01-05

The BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) account for 25% of global biotechnology patents. To understand the current and future landscape of the domain, it is important to better understand the capacity of these contributors. Here, we consider the thematic priorities, strategies, and key players of the BRICS countries in biotechnology patenting. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ten Years of a National Oral Health Policy in Brazil: Innovation, Boldness, and Numerous Challenges.

PubMed

Pucca, G A; Gabriel, M; de Araujo, M E; de Almeida, F C S

2015-10-01

Brazil is the only country in the world to propose a universal health care system with the aim of guaranteeing delivery of all levels of health care, free of charge, to a population of over 200 million inhabitants by means of a unified health system ("Sistema Único de Saúde" [SUS]). The national policy of oral health, also known as Smiling Brazil ("Brasil Sorridente"), was implemented in 2004. Oral health was designated as 1 of the 4 priority areas of the SUS, transforming oral health care in Brazil, with the objective that the SUS achieve the integrality of care envisaged at its creation. The aim of this article is to share part of this experience in order to prompt reflection about the inclusion of oral health care in other health care systems around the world. The most significant results of Smiling Brazil can be seen in 3 areas: (1) oral health epidemiological indicators, (2) financial investment and professional development, and (3) the building of an oral health care network throughout the 10 y of the policy. The "Discovery!" article presented here portrays 10 y of evolution; however, it is important to point out that this is a process undergoing construction and that the oral health care network needs to be further expanded, refined, and solidified so that over time and through changes in the political parties in power, Smiling Brazil prevails as a perennial policy and not merely an action by a single government. © International & American Associations for Dental Research 2015.

Assesment of publication practices in geosciences in developing countries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cazenave, A.; Barbe, V.

2003-12-01

We present results of a study which goal was to investigate in which journals scientists in geosciences (i.e., in the fields covered by the AGU) in developing countries publish most of their papers.We were interested in particular in looking at the percentage of publications in AGU journals. Using science indicators collected by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI), we analysed publication practices for 1997-2002 in the following countries : India, China, Russia, Brazil, Argentina and Chile. We investigated the evolution of the number of publications through time, identified most used journals, determined times cited and impact factors of papers published in the top 15 most used journals. We also determined the percentage of articles published in AGU journals versus other journals. We found that for the 6 counties considered, this percentage varies from about 2 to 3 percent (Argentina, China) to about 8 percent (the other 4 countries). Investigation of authors addresses indicates that the majority of articles published in AGU journals are multi-countries publications, involving international collaboration mainly with scientists from North America and Europe. Implications on page-charge and access to AGU journals are also discussed.

Global Dental Research Productivity and Its Association With Human Development, Gross National Income, and Political Stability.

PubMed

Allareddy, Veerasathpurush; Allareddy, Veeratrishul; Rampa, Sankeerth; Nalliah, Romesh P; Elangovan, Satheesh

2015-09-01

The objective of this study is to examine the associations between country level factors (such as human development, economic productivity, and political stability) and their dental research productivity. This study is a cross-sectional analysis of bibliometric data from Scopus search engine. Human Development Index (HDI), Gross National Income per capita (GNI), and Failed State Index measures were the independent variables. Outcomes were "Total number of publications (articles or articles in press) in the field of dentistry" and "Total number of publications in the field of dentistry per million population." Non-parametric tests were used to examine the association between the independent and outcome variables. During the year 2013, a total of 11,952 dental research articles were published across the world. The top 5 publishing countries were United States, Brazil, India, Japan, and United Kingdom. "Very High" HDI countries had significantly higher number of total dental research articles and dental research articles per million population when compared to the "High HDI," "Medium HDI," and "Low HDI" countries (p < 0.0001). There was a significant linear relationship between the GNI quartile income levels and outcome metrics (p ≤ 0.007). Countries which were highly politically stable were associated with significantly higher dental research productivity (p < 0.0001). There appears to be a regional concentration of articles with just five countries contributing to over 50% of all articles. The human development and economic development of a country are linearly correlated with dental research productivity. Dental research productivity also increases with increasing political stability of a country. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Family disintegration in Latin America: the consequences for children.

PubMed

Siqueira, L

1982-12-01

A federal study on children conducted by Brazil's Chamber of Deputies in 1975 concluded that some 25 million children, 40% of the total population below the age of 18 years, could be classified as disadvantaged. By 1980 this figure was estimated to have grown by an additional 3 million. An estimated 11 million of the disadvantaged children were literally destitute and homeless. They have been abandoned by their impoverished parents to a precarious life on the streets of the major cities of Brazil. The parents of many such abandoned children are recent migrants from rural areas. Unable to find adequate work and too poor to partake of health and other services, such families slip slowly into a state of destitution and disarray. The children end up on the streets where they are abused, exploited, and drawn into lives of crime and violence. Abandoned children are not the only young victims of the imbalances in Brazilian society. As many as 80% of Brazil's children suffer from some degree of malnutrition. Infant mortality is 84 deaths/1000 compared to an average of 12/1000 for Western Europe. In the Western hemisphere, several nations with lower per capita incomes have made greater progress in reducing infant and child mortality. These facts point up the fallacy of confusing economic growth with development. Economic growth is quantitative, mechanical, and materialistic. Development is organic and includes social dimensions, such as the educational, nutritional, and health status of the population. The problem of the disadvantaged children in Brazil is a problem of families and of the stresses placed on them by rapid, disorienting changes in social, economic, political, and cultural systems. The loss of the traditional functions of the family in the process of technological evolution has throughout modern history placed great strains on the family. This historical tendency toward family disintegration is greatly aggravated throughout the countries of the 3rd and 4th worlds by 3 factors: the pace of economic and social change has become very rapid, breaking down the traditional social institutions before new ones arise; the benefits of economic growth are unevenly distributed; and continued high rates of unwanted fertility have consumed the resources of individual families and of society as a whole. The complex problems that afflict the Latin American countries have no short-term or medium term solutions. Some strengths that would strengthen the socio-familial system in Latin American countries are listed.

Origin and Evolution of Dengue Virus Type 3 in Brazil

PubMed Central

Romero, Hector; Nogueira, Rita Maria Ribeiro

2012-01-01

The incidence of dengue fever and dengue hemorrhagic fever in Brazil experienced a significant increase since the emergence of dengue virus type-3 (DENV-3) at the early 2000s. Despite the major public health concerns, there have been very few studies of the molecular epidemiology and time-scale of this DENV lineage in Brazil. In this study, we investigated the origin and dispersion dynamics of DENV-3 genotype III in Brazil by examining a large number (n = 107) of E gene sequences sampled between 2001 and 2009 from diverse Brazilian regions. These Brazilian sequences were combined with 457 DENV-3 genotype III E gene sequences from 29 countries around the world. Our phylogenetic analysis reveals that there have been at least four introductions of the DENV-3 genotype III in Brazil, as signified by the presence of four phylogenetically distinct lineages. Three lineages (BR-I, BR-II, and BR-III) were probably imported from the Lesser Antilles (Caribbean), while the fourth one (BR-IV) was probably introduced from Colombia or Venezuela. While lineages BR-I and BR-II succeeded in getting established and disseminated in Brazil and other countries from the Southern Cone, lineages BR-III and BR-IV were only detected in one single individual each from the North region. The phylogeographic analysis indicates that DENV-3 lineages BR-I and BR-II were most likely introduced into Brazil through the Southeast and North regions around 1999 (95% HPD: 1998–2000) and 2001 (95% HPD: 2000–2002), respectively. These findings show that importation of DENV-3 lineages from the Caribbean islands into Brazil seems to be relatively frequent. Our study further suggests that the North and Southeast Brazilian regions were the most important hubs of introduction and spread of DENV-3 lineages and deserve an intense epidemiological surveillance. PMID:22970331

The privatization of medical education in Brazil: trends and challenges.

PubMed

Scheffer, Mário C; Dal Poz, Mario R

2015-12-17

Like other countries, Brazil is struggling with issues related to public policies designed to influence the distribution, establishment, supply and education of doctors. While the number of undergraduate medical schools and places available on medical schools has risen, the increase in the number of doctors in Brazil in recent decades has not benefitted the population homogeneously. The government has expanded the medical schools at the country's federal universities, while providing incentives for the creation of new undergraduate courses at private establishments. This article examines the trends and challenges of the privatization of medical education in Brazil. This is a descriptive, cross-sectional study based on secondary data from official government databases on medical schools and courses and institutions offering such courses in Brazil. It takes into account the year when the medical schools received authorization to initiatte the activities, where they are situated, whether they are run by a public or private entity, how many places they offer, how many students they have enrolled, and their performance according to Ministry of Education evaluations. Brazil had 241 medical schools in 2014, offering a total of 20,340 places. The private higher education institutions are responsible for most of the enrolment of medical students nationally (54 %), especially in the southeast. However, enrolment in public institutions predominate more in the capitals than in other cities. Overal, the public medical schools performed better than the private schools in the last two National Exam of Students' (ENADE). The privatization of the teaching of medicine at undergraduate level in Brazil represents a great challenge: how to expand the number of places while assuring quality and democratic access to this form of education. Upon seeking to understand the configuration and trends in medical education in Brazil, it is hoped that this analysis may contribute to a broader research agenda in the future.

Impact of BRICS' investment in vaccine development on the global vaccine market.

PubMed

Kaddar, Miloud; Milstien, Julie; Schmitt, Sarah

2014-06-01

Brazil, the Russian Federation, India, China and South Africa--the countries known as BRICS--have made considerable progress in vaccine production, regulation and development over the past 20 years. In 1993, all five countries were producing vaccines but the processes used were outdated and non-standardized, there was little relevant research and there was negligible international recognition of the products. By 2014, all five countries had strong initiatives for the development of vaccine technology and had greatly improved their national regulatory capacity. South Africa was then the only BRICS country that was not completely producing vaccines. South Africa is now in the process of re-establishing its own vaccine production and passing beyond the stage of simply importing, formulating and filling vaccine bulks. Changes in the public sector's price per dose of selected vaccines, the global market share represented by products from specific manufacturers, and the attractiveness, for multinational companies, of partnership and investment opportunities in BRICS companies have all been analysed. The results indicate that the BRICS countries have had a major impact on vaccine price and availability, with much of that impact attributable to the output of Indian vaccine manufacturers. China is expected to have a greater impact soon, given the anticipated development of Chinese vaccine manufacturers in the near future. BRICS' accomplishments in the field of vaccine development are expected to reshape the global vaccine market and accelerate access to vaccines in the developing world. The challenge is to turn these expectations into strategic actions and practical outcomes.

A checklist of the oribatid mite species (Acari: Oribatida) of Brazil.

PubMed

Oliveira, Anibal R; Argolo, Poliane S; Moraes, Gilberto J de; Norton, Roy A; Schatz, Heinrich

2017-03-23

A checklist of the oribatid mite species reported in Brazil is presented, including all published records up to 2015. A total of 576 described species in 206 genera and 83 families is presented. Information includes the names by which each species was reported in the Brazilian literature, its general known distribution and by Brazilian States, references, and remarks, when needed. As with most countries, there was a slow early accumulation of knowledge but in recent decades the pace of description has been relatively high. A graphical overview of the number of described oribatid mite species from Brazil in different decades is given. The proportion contributed by each of the major oribatid groups is generally similar to that of the overall world fauna, with a composition that reflects the South American fauna and all of the Neotropics in general. There is a relatively low percentage of primitive mites (Palaeosomata, Enarthronota) other than Lohmanniidae and Mesoplophoridae, which are quite diverse. The Brachypylina comprises about 68% of the oribatid mite fauna. In the checklist, 41% of the species are known only from Brazil, 37% from the Neotropical region, 13.5% have a wider distribution in the global tropical and subtropical regions, and 8.5% are considered cosmopolitan or semicosmopolitan species. The number of descriptions of new species since 2000 from Brazil (73 spp.) and South America (230) is high, but the oribatid mite fauna of these countries remains poorly known. Only continued studies can determine if the high number of species known only from Brazil is an indication of high endemism.

The role of health technology assessment on pharmaceutical reimbursement in selected middle-income countries.

PubMed

Oortwijn, Wija; Mathijssen, Judith; Banta, David

2010-05-01

Middle-income countries are often referred to as developing or emerging economies and face multiple challenges of severe financial stresses in their health care sectors, and high disease burden. The objective of this study is to provide an overview of how health technology assessment (HTA) is used and organized in selected middle-income countries and its role in the process of pharmaceutical coverage. We selected middle-income countries where HTA activities are evident: Argentina, Brazil, China, Colombia, Israel, Mexico, Philippines, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Turkey. We collected and reviewed relevant information to describe the health care and reimbursement systems and how HTA relates to coverage decision-making of pharmaceuticals. This was supplemented by information from a structured survey among professionals working in public and private health insurance, industry, regulatory authorities, ministries of health, academic units or HTA. All countries require market authorization for pharmaceuticals to be sold and most countries have a national plan defining which pharmaceuticals can be reimbursed. However, the use of HTA in reimbursement decisions is still in its early stages with varying levels of HTA guidance implementation. The study provides evidence of the development of HTA in coverage decision-making in middle-income countries. Increased health care spending and the resulting access to modern technology give a strong impetus to HTA. However, HTA is developing with uneven speed in middle-income countries and many countries are building on the organisational and methodological experience from established HTA agencies. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mitochondrial DNA and trade data support multiple origins of Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) in Brazil

PubMed Central

Tay, Wee Tek; Walsh, Thomas K.; Downes, Sharon; Anderson, Craig; Jermiin, Lars S.; Wong, Thomas K. F.; Piper, Melissa C.; Chang, Ester Silva; Macedo, Isabella Barony; Czepak, Cecilia; Behere, Gajanan T.; Silvie, Pierre; Soria, Miguel F.; Frayssinet, Marie; Gordon, Karl H. J.

2017-01-01

The Old World bollworm Helicoverpa armigera is now established in Brazil but efforts to identify incursion origin(s) and pathway(s) have met with limited success due to the patchiness of available data. Using international agricultural/horticultural commodity trade data and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) cytochrome oxidase I (COI) and cytochrome b (Cyt b) gene markers, we inferred the origins and incursion pathways into Brazil. We detected 20 mtDNA haplotypes from six Brazilian states, eight of which were new to our 97 global COI-Cyt b haplotype database. Direct sequence matches indicated five Brazilian haplotypes had Asian, African, and European origins. We identified 45 parsimoniously informative sites and multiple substitutions per site within the concatenated (945 bp) nucleotide dataset, implying that probabilistic phylogenetic analysis methods are needed. High diversity and signatures of uniquely shared haplotypes with diverse localities combined with the trade data suggested multiple incursions and introduction origins in Brazil. Increasing agricultural/horticultural trade activities between the Old and New Worlds represents a significant biosecurity risk factor. Identifying pest origins will enable resistance profiling that reflects countries of origin to be included when developing a resistance management strategy, while identifying incursion pathways will improve biosecurity protocols and risk analysis at biosecurity hotspots including national ports. PMID:28350004

Intensification of cattle ranching production systems: socioeconomic and environmental synergies and risks in Brazil.

PubMed

Latawiec, A E; Strassburg, B B N; Valentim, J F; Ramos, F; Alves-Pinto, H N

2014-08-01

Intensification of Brazilian cattle ranching systems has attracted both national and international attention due to its direct relation with Amazon deforestation on the one hand and increasing demand of the global population for meat on the other. Since Brazilian cattle ranching is predominantly pasture-based, we particularly focus on pasture management. We summarize the most recurrent opportunities and risks associated with pasture intensification that are brought up within scientific and political dialogues, and discuss them within the Brazilian context. We argue that sustainable intensification of pasturelands in Brazil is a viable way to increase agricultural output while simultaneously sparing land for nature. Since environmental degradation is often associated with low-yield extensive systems in Brazil, it is possible to obtain higher yields, while reversing degradation, by adopting practices like rotational grazing, incorporation of legumes and integrated crop-livestock-forestry systems. Technical assistance is however essential, particularly for small- and medium-scale farmers. Sound complementary policies and good governance must accompany these measures so that a 'rebound effect' does not lead to increased deforestation and other adverse social and environmental impacts. It is also important that animal welfare is not compromised. Although the discussion is presented with respect to Brazil, some aspects are relevant to other developing countries.

Mitochondrial DNA and trade data support multiple origins of Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) in Brazil.

PubMed

Tay, Wee Tek; Walsh, Thomas K; Downes, Sharon; Anderson, Craig; Jermiin, Lars S; Wong, Thomas K F; Piper, Melissa C; Chang, Ester Silva; Macedo, Isabella Barony; Czepak, Cecilia; Behere, Gajanan T; Silvie, Pierre; Soria, Miguel F; Frayssinet, Marie; Gordon, Karl H J

2017-03-28

The Old World bollworm Helicoverpa armigera is now established in Brazil but efforts to identify incursion origin(s) and pathway(s) have met with limited success due to the patchiness of available data. Using international agricultural/horticultural commodity trade data and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) cytochrome oxidase I (COI) and cytochrome b (Cyt b) gene markers, we inferred the origins and incursion pathways into Brazil. We detected 20 mtDNA haplotypes from six Brazilian states, eight of which were new to our 97 global COI-Cyt b haplotype database. Direct sequence matches indicated five Brazilian haplotypes had Asian, African, and European origins. We identified 45 parsimoniously informative sites and multiple substitutions per site within the concatenated (945 bp) nucleotide dataset, implying that probabilistic phylogenetic analysis methods are needed. High diversity and signatures of uniquely shared haplotypes with diverse localities combined with the trade data suggested multiple incursions and introduction origins in Brazil. Increasing agricultural/horticultural trade activities between the Old and New Worlds represents a significant biosecurity risk factor. Identifying pest origins will enable resistance profiling that reflects countries of origin to be included when developing a resistance management strategy, while identifying incursion pathways will improve biosecurity protocols and risk analysis at biosecurity hotspots including national ports.

Mitochondrial DNA and trade data support multiple origins of Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) in Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tay, Wee Tek; Walsh, Thomas K.; Downes, Sharon; Anderson, Craig; Jermiin, Lars S.; Wong, Thomas K. F.; Piper, Melissa C.; Chang, Ester Silva; Macedo, Isabella Barony; Czepak, Cecilia; Behere, Gajanan T.; Silvie, Pierre; Soria, Miguel F.; Frayssinet, Marie; Gordon, Karl H. J.

2017-03-01

The Old World bollworm Helicoverpa armigera is now established in Brazil but efforts to identify incursion origin(s) and pathway(s) have met with limited success due to the patchiness of available data. Using international agricultural/horticultural commodity trade data and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) cytochrome oxidase I (COI) and cytochrome b (Cyt b) gene markers, we inferred the origins and incursion pathways into Brazil. We detected 20 mtDNA haplotypes from six Brazilian states, eight of which were new to our 97 global COI-Cyt b haplotype database. Direct sequence matches indicated five Brazilian haplotypes had Asian, African, and European origins. We identified 45 parsimoniously informative sites and multiple substitutions per site within the concatenated (945 bp) nucleotide dataset, implying that probabilistic phylogenetic analysis methods are needed. High diversity and signatures of uniquely shared haplotypes with diverse localities combined with the trade data suggested multiple incursions and introduction origins in Brazil. Increasing agricultural/horticultural trade activities between the Old and New Worlds represents a significant biosecurity risk factor. Identifying pest origins will enable resistance profiling that reflects countries of origin to be included when developing a resistance management strategy, while identifying incursion pathways will improve biosecurity protocols and risk analysis at biosecurity hotspots including national ports.

Biosimilars in psoriasis: Clinical practice and regulatory perspectives in Latin America.

PubMed

de la Cruz, Claudia; de Carvalho, André V E; Dorantes, Gladys L; Londoño Garcia, Angela M; Gonzalez, Cesar; Maskin, Matías; Podoswa, Nancy; Redfern, Jan S; Valenzuela, Fernando; van der Walt, Joelle; Romiti, Ricardo

2017-01-01

Latin American countries view biosimilar agents as an effective approach to curtail health-care expenditures while maintaining the safety and efficacy profile of their branded innovator comparators. To understand the complexities of the regulatory landscape and key therapeutic issues for use of biosimilars to treat moderate to severe psoriasis in Latin America, the International Psoriasis Council convened dermatology experts from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Mexico in October 2015 to review the definition, approval, marketing and future of biosimilars in each country and develop a consensus statement. The regulatory framework for marketing approval of biosimilars in Latin America is currently a mosaic of disparate, country-specific, regulatory review processes, rules and standards, with considerable heterogeneity in clarity and specificity. Regulations in Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Mexico have undergone multiple refinements whereas Colombia is finalizing draft guidelines. Verification of the similarity in quality, safety and efficacy of biosimilars to the innovator biologic remains a key challenge for policy makers and regulatory authorities. Other key regulatory challenges include: naming of agents and traceability, pharmacovigilance, extrapolation of indications, and interchangeability and substitution. An urgent need exists for more Latin American countries to establish national psoriasis registries and to integrate their common components into a multinational psoriasis network, thereby enhancing their interpretative power and impact. A Latin American psoriasis network similar to PSONET in Europe would assist health-care providers, pharmaceutical companies, regulators and patients to fully comprehend specific products being prescribed and dispensed and to identify potential regional trends or differences in safety or outcomes. © 2016 Japanese Dermatological Association.

Cross-Cultural Consistency of the Demand/Withdraw Interaction Pattern in Couples

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christensen, Andrew; Eldridge, Kathleen; Catta-Preta, Adriana Bokel; Lim, Veronica R.; Santagata, Rossella

2006-01-01

In order to examine the cross-cultural consistency of several patterns of couple communication, 363 participants from four different countries (Brazil, Italy, Taiwan, and the United States) completed self-report measures about communication and satisfaction in their romantic relationships. Across countries, constructive communication was…

Challenges Facing Early Childhood Programs Worldwide

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neugebauer, Roger

2008-01-01

In this article, the author presents the challenges faced by early childhood education in 29 countries, according to the World Forum National Representatives and Global Leaders for Young Children. The countries represented in these responses include: Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, Fiji, India, Iran, Iraq, Japan,…

World meat consumption patterns: An overview of the last fifty years (1961-2011).

PubMed

Sans, P; Combris, P

2015-11-01

Driven by economic development and urbanisation, protein consumption has surged worldwide over the last 50years, rising from 61g per person per day in 1961 to 80g per person per day in 2011 [Corrected]. This contribution analyses the apparent convergence of dietary models worldwide with respect to the proportion of ABP and especially meat in intake. By using FAO data for 183 countries over the period 1961-2011, the authors show the connection between annual per capita GDP and the level of ABP (R2=0.62) and meat consumption (R2=0.62). They emphasise the surge in ABP intake in emerging countries (China, Brazil) which has partly replaced plant protein. However, for similar degrees of economic development, the composition of ABPs and the position of meat within this category vary significantly among countries, suggesting that historical, geographical, cultural and religious factors may be involved. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Socioeconomic inequalities in child mortality: comparisons across nine developing countries.

PubMed Central

Wagstaff, A.

2000-01-01

This paper generates and analyses survey data on inequalities in mortality among infants and children aged under five years by consumption in Brazil, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Nepal, Nicaragua, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Africa, and Viet Nam. The data were obtained from the Living Standards Measurement Study and the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey. Mortality rates were estimated directly where complete fertility histories were available and indirectly otherwise. Mortality distributions were compared between countries by means of concentration curves and concentration indices: dominance checks were carried out for all pairwise intercountry comparisons; standard errors were calculated for the concentration indices; and tests of intercountry differences in inequality were performed. PMID:10686730

Suicide rates and income in São Paulo and Brazil: a temporal and spatial epidemiologic analysis from 1996 to 2008

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background In a classical study, Durkheim noted a direct relation between suicide rates and wealth in the XIX century France. Since that time, several studies have verified this relationship. It is known that suicide rates are associated with income, although the direction of this association varies worldwide. Brazil presents a heterogeneous distribution of income and suicide across its territory; however, evaluation for an association between these variables has shown mixed results. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between suicide rates and income in Brazil, State of São Paulo (SP), and City of SP, considering geographical area and temporal trends. Methods Data were extracted from the National and State official statistics departments. Three socioeconomic areas were considered according to income, from the wealthiest (area 1) to the poorest (area 3). We also considered three regions: country-wide (27 Brazilian States and 558 Brazilian micro-regions), state-wide (645 counties of SP State), and city-wide (96 districts of SP city). Relative risks (RR) were calculated among areas 1, 2, and 3 for all regions, in a cross-sectional approach. Then, we used Joinpoint analysis to explore the temporal trends of suicide rates and SaTScan to investigate geographical clusters of high/low suicide rates across the territory. Results Suicide rates in Brazil, the State of SP, and the city of SP were 6.2, 6.6, and 5.4 per 100,000, respectively. Taking suicide rates of the poorest area (3) as reference, the RR for the wealthiest area was 1.64, 0.88, and 1.65 for Brazil, State of SP, and city of SP, respectively (p for trend <0.05 for all analyses). Spatial cluster of high suicide rates were identified at Brazilian southern (RR = 2.37), state of SP western (RR = 1.32), and city of SP central (RR = 1.65) regions. A direct association between income and suicide were found for Brazil (OR = 2.59) and the city of SP (OR = 1.07), and an inverse association for the state of SP (OR = 0.49). Conclusions Temporospatial analyses revealed higher suicide rates in wealthier areas in Brazil and the city of SP and in poorer areas in the State of SP. We further discuss the role of socioeconomic characteristics for explaining these discrepancies and the importance of our findings in public health policies. Similar studies in other Brazilian States and developing countries are warranted. PMID:22928689

Suicide rates and income in São Paulo and Brazil: a temporal and spatial epidemiologic analysis from 1996 to 2008.

PubMed

Bando, Daniel H; Brunoni, Andre R; Benseñor, Isabela M; Lotufo, Paulo A

2012-08-28

In a classical study, Durkheim noted a direct relation between suicide rates and wealth in the XIX century France. Since that time, several studies have verified this relationship. It is known that suicide rates are associated with income, although the direction of this association varies worldwide. Brazil presents a heterogeneous distribution of income and suicide across its territory; however, evaluation for an association between these variables has shown mixed results. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between suicide rates and income in Brazil, State of São Paulo (SP), and City of SP, considering geographical area and temporal trends. Data were extracted from the National and State official statistics departments. Three socioeconomic areas were considered according to income, from the wealthiest (area 1) to the poorest (area 3). We also considered three regions: country-wide (27 Brazilian States and 558 Brazilian micro-regions), state-wide (645 counties of SP State), and city-wide (96 districts of SP city). Relative risks (RR) were calculated among areas 1, 2, and 3 for all regions, in a cross-sectional approach. Then, we used Joinpoint analysis to explore the temporal trends of suicide rates and SaTScan to investigate geographical clusters of high/low suicide rates across the territory. Suicide rates in Brazil, the State of SP, and the city of SP were 6.2, 6.6, and 5.4 per 100,000, respectively. Taking suicide rates of the poorest area (3) as reference, the RR for the wealthiest area was 1.64, 0.88, and 1.65 for Brazil, State of SP, and city of SP, respectively (p for trend <0.05 for all analyses). Spatial cluster of high suicide rates were identified at Brazilian southern (RR = 2.37), state of SP western (RR = 1.32), and city of SP central (RR = 1.65) regions. A direct association between income and suicide were found for Brazil (OR = 2.59) and the city of SP (OR = 1.07), and an inverse association for the state of SP (OR = 0.49). Temporospatial analyses revealed higher suicide rates in wealthier areas in Brazil and the city of SP and in poorer areas in the State of SP. We further discuss the role of socioeconomic characteristics for explaining these discrepancies and the importance of our findings in public health policies. Similar studies in other Brazilian States and developing countries are warranted.

Articles by latin american authors in prestigious journals have fewer citations.

PubMed

Meneghini, Rogerio; Packer, Abel L; Nassi-Calò, Lilian

2008-01-01

The journal Impact factor (IF) is generally accepted to be a good measurement of the relevance/quality of articles that a journal publishes. In spite of an, apparently, homogenous peer-review process for a given journal, we hypothesize that the country affiliation of authors from developing Latin American (LA) countries affects the IF of a journal detrimentally. Seven prestigious international journals, one multidisciplinary journal and six serving specific branches of science, were examined in terms of their IF in the Web of Science. Two subsets of each journal were then selected to evaluate the influence of author's affiliation on the IF. They comprised contributions (i) with authorship from four Latin American (LA) countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Mexico) and (ii) with authorship from five developed countries (England, France, Germany, Japan and USA). Both subsets were further subdivided into two groups: articles with authorship from one country only and collaborative articles with authorship from other countries. Articles from the five developed countries had IF close to the overall IF of the journals and the influence of collaboration on this value was minor. In the case of LA articles the effect of collaboration (virtually all with developed countries) was significant. The IFs for non-collaborative articles averaged 66% of the overall IF of the journals whereas the articles in collaboration raised the IFs to values close to the overall IF. The study shows a significantly lower IF in the group of the subsets of non-collaborative LA articles and thus that country affiliation of authors from non-developed LA countries does affect the IF of a journal detrimentally. There are no data to indicate whether the lower IFs of LA articles were due to their inherent inferior quality/relevance or psycho-social trend towards under-citation of articles from these countries. However, further study is required since there are foreseeable consequences of this trend as it may stimulate strategies by editors to turn down articles that tend to be under-cited.

Market assessment of tuberculosis diagnostics in Brazil in 2012.

PubMed

2014-01-01

Improved diagnostics for the diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) are urgently needed. However, test developers and investors require market size data to support new product development. This study assessed the served available market for TB diagnostics in Brazil in 2012 and the market segmentation in the public and private sectors. Data were collected on test volumes done in the public and private sectors for the diagnosis of latent and active TB, drug susceptibility testing and treatment follow-up. Tests included were tuberculin skin tests, interferon-gamma releases assays, smear microscopy, solid and liquid cultures, nucleic acid amplification tests and phenotypic drug susceptibility tests. The data were collected by means of an electronic survey via the Brazilian State laboratories and from sales information provided by manufacturers. Test costs for the public sector were calculated using a components approach, while costs for the private sector were based on prices paid by patients. The overall market value (expenditure) for the entire country was calculated using the public sector test costs. During 2012, an estimated total of 2.4 million TB diagnostic tests were done in Brazil, resulting in an estimated overall market value of USD 17.2 million. The public sector accounted for 91% of the test volumes and 88% of the market value. Smear microscopy was the most commonly test (n = 1.3 million; 55% of total) at an estimated value of USD 3.7 million. Culture overall (n = 302,761) represented 13% of test volumes and 40% (USD 6.9 million) of the market value. On average, USD 208 was spent on TB diagnostics for every notified TB patient in Brazil, in 2012. The TB diagnostics market value in Brazil in 2012 was over USD 17 million. These study results will help test developers to understand the current and potential market for replacement or add-on diagnostic technologies.

Market Assessment of Tuberculosis Diagnostics in Brazil in 2012

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Improved diagnostics for the diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) are urgently needed. However, test developers and investors require market size data to support new product development. This study assessed the served available market for TB diagnostics in Brazil in 2012 and the market segmentation in the public and private sectors. Methods Data were collected on test volumes done in the public and private sectors for the diagnosis of latent and active TB, drug susceptibility testing and treatment follow-up. Tests included were tuberculin skin tests, interferon-gamma releases assays, smear microscopy, solid and liquid cultures, nucleic acid amplification tests and phenotypic drug susceptibility tests. The data were collected by means of an electronic survey via the Brazilian State laboratories and from sales information provided by manufacturers. Test costs for the public sector were calculated using a components approach, while costs for the private sector were based on prices paid by patients. The overall market value (expenditure) for the entire country was calculated using the public sector test costs. Results During 2012, an estimated total of 2.4 million TB diagnostic tests were done in Brazil, resulting in an estimated overall market value of USD 17.2 million. The public sector accounted for 91% of the test volumes and 88% of the market value. Smear microscopy was the most commonly test (n = 1.3 million; 55% of total) at an estimated value of USD 3.7 million. Culture overall (n = 302,761) represented 13% of test volumes and 40% (USD 6.9 million) of the market value. On average, USD 208 was spent on TB diagnostics for every notified TB patient in Brazil, in 2012. Conclusion The TB diagnostics market value in Brazil in 2012 was over USD 17 million. These study results will help test developers to understand the current and potential market for replacement or add-on diagnostic technologies. PMID:25099237

Cross-national comparisons of complex problem-solving strategies in two microworlds.

PubMed

Güss, C Dominik; Tuason, Ma Teresa; Gerhard, Christiane

2010-04-01

Research in the fields of complex problem solving (CPS) and dynamic decision making using microworlds has been mainly conducted in Western industrialized countries. This study analyzes the CPS process by investigating thinking-aloud protocols in five countries. Participants were 511 students from Brazil, Germany, India, the Philippines, and the United States who worked on two microworlds. On the basis of cultural-psychological theories, specific cross-national differences in CPS strategies were hypothesized. Following theories of situatedness of cognition, hypotheses about the specific frequency of problem-solving strategies in the two microworlds were developed. Results of the verbal protocols showed (a) modification of the theoretical CPS model, (b) task dependence of CPS strategies, and (c) cross-national differences in CPS strategies. Participants' CPS processes were particularly influenced by country-specific problem-solving strategies. Copyright © 2009 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

An overall estimation of losses caused by diseases in the Brazilian fish farms.

PubMed

Tavares-Dias, Marcos; Martins, Maurício Laterça

2017-12-01

Parasitic and infectious diseases are common in finfish, but are difficult to accurately estimate the economic impacts on the production in a country with large dimensions like Brazil. The aim of this study was to estimate the costs caused by economic losses of finfish due to mortality by diseases in Brazil. A model for estimating the costs related to parasitic and bacterial diseases in farmed fish and an estimative of these economic impacts are presented. We used official data of production and mortality of finfish for rough estimation of economic losses. The losses herein presented are related to direct and indirect economic costs for freshwater farmed fish, which were estimated in US$ 84 million per year. Finally, it was possible to establish by the first time an estimative of overall losses in finfish production in Brazil using data available from production. Therefore, this current estimative must help researchers and policy makers to approximate the economic costs of diseases for fish farming industry, as well as for developing of public policies on the control measures of diseases and priority research lines.

Evaluation of landfill gas production and emissions in a MSW large-scale Experimental Cell in Brazil.

PubMed

Maciel, Felipe Jucá; Jucá, José Fernando Thomé

2011-05-01

Landfill gas (LFG) emissions from municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills are an important environmental concern in Brazil due to the existence of several uncontrolled disposal sites. A program of laboratory and field tests was conducted to investigate gas generation in and emission from an Experimental Cell with a 36,659-ton capacity in Recife/PE - Brazil. This investigation involved waste characterisation, gas production and emission monitoring, and geotechnical and biological evaluations and was performed using three types of final cover layers. The results obtained in this study showed that waste decomposes 4-5 times faster in a tropical wet climate than predicted by traditional first-order models using default parameters. This fact must be included when considering the techniques and economics of projects developed in tropical climate countries. The design of the final cover layer and its geotechnical and biological behaviour proved to have an important role in minimising gas emissions to the atmosphere. Capillary and methanotrophic final cover layers presented lower CH(4) flux rates than the conventional layer. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Soil ecotoxicology in Brazil is taking its course.

PubMed

Niva, Cintia Carla; Niemeyer, Julia Carina; Júnior, Flávio Manoel Rodrigues Da Silva; Nunes, Maria Edna Tenório; De Sousa, Danilo Lourenço; Aragão, Clara Wandenkolck Silva; Sautter, Klaus Dieter; Espindola, Evaldo Gaeta; Sousa, José Paulo; Römbke, Jörg

2016-06-01

Soil ecotoxicology has been motivated by the increasing global awareness on environmental issues. Northern Hemisphere has been the main driver of this science branch; however, the number and quality of contributions from the Southern Hemisphere are increasing quickly. In this case study, Brazil is taken as an example of how soil ecotoxicology has developed over the last 30 years. It starts with a brief historical overview depicting the main events on soil ecotoxicology in the country. Following, an overview on the Brazilian legislation related to soil ecotoxicology is given, covering regulations with prospective focus, mainly on the registration of pesticides. Regulations with retrospective focus in contaminated areas are also given. Then, an outline of the actors in soil ecotoxicology and examples of prospective ecotoxicological studies performed with soil organisms and plants are given by stressor groups: pesticides, pharmaceuticals, metals, and residues. Experiences from retrospective studies, mainly looking at the assessment of industrial sites, are also covered. Emphasis is given on methodological aspects, pointing to needed actions, mainly regarding the different biotic and abiotic conditions of a tropical country. Finally, the last session discusses how soil ecotoxicology could be improved in methodological adaptations as well as legal requirements.

First detection of autochthonous Zika virus transmission in a HIV-infected patient in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

PubMed

Calvet, Guilherme A; Filippis, Ana Maria B; Mendonça, Marcos Cesar L; Sequeira, Patricia C; Siqueira, Andre M; Veloso, Valdilea G; Nogueira, Rita M; Brasil, Patrícia

2016-01-01

Since May 2015, Brazil's Ministry of Health has reported autochthonous transmission of Zika virus (ZIKV) in some states of the country. Simultaneous circulation of Dengue, Chikungunya and ZIKV in the country hinder both the diagnosis and the therapeutic approach of patients seeking care with acute febrile illnesses especially in patients with comorbidities. The association between HIV infection and endemic diseases has been described especially in tropical regions with varying levels of complications, although there has been no report of ZIKV in HIV-infected patients. We report the first autochthonous case of laboratory confirmed ZIKV infection in a HIV-infected patient in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He evolved with only mild symptoms and recovered well without major laboratory abnormalities. Phylogenetic analysis of the ZIKV detected in the patient sera clustered within the Asian clade. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that Zika virus co-infection is reported in a HIV-infected patient. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Breast cancer in Brazil: epidemiology and treatment challenges

PubMed Central

Cecilio, Adma Poliana; Takakura, Erika Tomie; Jumes, Jaqueline Janaina; dos Santos, Jeane Wilhelm; Herrera, Ana Cristina; Victorino, Vanessa Jacob; Panis, Carolina

2015-01-01

Notwithstanding the advances in tumor research, diagnosis, and treatment, breast cancer is still a challenge worldwide. This global burden of disease has been associated with population aging and the persistence of cancer-related behaviors. The number of women diagnosed with breast cancer has been estimated as increasing, especially in middle-income countries such as Brazil. Estimates from the Instituto Nacional de Câncer (INCA) point to breast cancer as the major malignant neoplasia in Brazilian women and the main cause of death from cancer in the country. This fact has been associated with increased life expectancy, urbanization, and cancer-related behaviors. Given this scenario, it is clear that there is a need for identifying and discussing which factors have substantially contributed to this growing number of cases in Brazil, including access to treatment, prevention and early diagnosis, weaknesses of the local health policy, and intrinsic genetic peculiarities of the Brazilian population. This review aims to address the role of such factors. PMID:25678813