Hepatitis B virus genotype E detected in Brazil in an African patient who is a frequent traveler

Genotype E of hepatitis B virus (HBV) has not been described in Brazil and is found mainly in Africa. Genotype A is the most prevalent in Brazil, and genotypes B, C, D, and F have already been reported. We report here an HBV genotype E-infected patient and some characterization of surface (S) protein, DNA polymerase (P) and precore/core (preC/C) coding regions based on the viral genome. The patient is a 31-year-old black man with chronic hepatitis B who was born and raised in Angola. He has been followed by a hepatologist in São Paulo, Brazil, since November 2003, and he is a frequent traveler to Latin America, Africa, and Europe. In 2003, he was diagnosed with HBV infection and started treatment with lamivudine with the later addition of adefovir dipivoxil. No known risk factor was identified. Serologically, he is HBsAg and anti-HBe positive, but HBeAg and anti-HBs negative. DNA sequence analysis of the S/P region confirmed that this patient is infected with genotype E, subtype ayw4. The preC/C region showed G1896A and G1899A mutations but no mutations in the basal core promoter. Nucleotide substitutions common in genotype E were also observed (C1772, T1858 and A1757). Although this is not an autochthonous case and there is no evidence of further spread, the description of this case in Brazil highlights the current risk of viral genotypes spreading with unprecedented speed due to constant travel around the world.

Industrias químicas no Brasil: organizaçäo e condiçöes de trabalho / Chemical industries in Brazil: organization and work conditions

Segundo o autor as indústrias químicas no Brasil näo operam de maneira continua, sendo que na maior parte delas as operaçöes säo efetuadas de maneira semi ou näo automatizada. As formas de organizaçäo do trabalho que foram constatadas aproximan-se, em determinados aspectos, conforme revela o autor, de organizaçäo racional do trabalho; em outros do enriquecimento de cargos e até dos grupos semi-autônomos. Após análise, o autor observa que as condiçöes de trabalho säo, geralmente, precarias e, analisadas em funçäo de vários parametros demonstram a ineficiência das organizaçöes neste aspecto importante do organismo industrial