COVID-19 in medium-sized municipalities in the 14 health macro-regions of Minas Gerais, Brazil

The present study focused on the scenario of confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the state of Minas Gerais (MG), Brazil, from March 2020 to March 2021. We evaluated the evolution of COVID-19 prevalence and death in one municipality from each of the 14 health macro-regions of MG state. Socio-demographic characteristics and variables related to the municipalities were analyzed. The raw dataset used in this study was freely sourced from the website Brasil.io. From the raw dataset, two time series were extracted: the cumulative confirmed cases of COVID-19 and cumulative death counts, and they were compared to the state data using a nowcasting approach. In order to make time series comparisons possible, all data was normalized per 100,000 inhabitants. When analyzing in light of colored wave code interventions initiated in August 2020 in MG, for the majority of the municipalities, there was an absence of clear influence on prevalence and deaths. The national holidays in the first semester of 2020 had a small impact on the COVID-19 prevalence of the municipalities, but the holidays in the second semester of 2020 and beginning of 2021 caused important impacts on COVID-19 prevalence. The low number of ICU beds in some municipalities contributed to the higher number of deaths. The analysis showed here is expected to contribute to the improvement of decision making of the MG government, as it opened a huge possibility to have the total macro-regions and state data analyzed.

Terapia floral em gatos domésticos (Felis catus, Linnaeus, 1758) portadores do complexo da doença respiratória felina: estudo clínico e hematológico / Flower therapy in domestic cats (Felis catus, Linnaeus, 1758) with feline respiratory disease complex: clinical and hematological study

A terapia floral é considerada, atualmente, prática médica alternativa utilizada em diversas situações clínicas, constituindo possibilidade a mais de prevenção e cura de muitas doenças de natureza física e emocional. Este estudo objetivou pesquisar o efeito das essências do Sistema Brasileiro de Florais Compostos de Joel Aleixo num mesmo grupo de gatos domésticos com sinais clínicos sugestivos de Doença Respiratória Felina (DRF), tratados em diferentes momentos (M0, M1, M2, M3). Foram utilizados 20 gatos domésticos, de ambos os sexos, sem raça definida, com idade média de 5,63 ± 3,02 anos criados em gatil na UFRPE. Os animais foram submetidos ao tratamento com os florais por via oral em duas etapas. Na primeira etapa com os florais Desintus Total e Helminthus Total por 14 dias, e na segunda etapa com os florais Antibius e Regius por 28 dias. Os resultados observados, quanto aos aspectos clínicos, foram redução de secreção nasal, secreção ocular e estertores pulmonares; desaparecimento de sinais clínicos como fezes alteradas, úlceras na cavidade oral, pêlos eriçados e permanência da hipertrofia dos linfonodos. Quanto aos aspectos hematológicos houve interferência nas variáveis relacionadas ao hemograma (hemoglobina, VCM, CHCM, leucócitos, linfócitos e monócitos). Conclui-se que a terapia floral mostrou-se eficaz em gatos domésticos com sinais sugestivos de DRF criados nas mesmas condições de manejo.

Flower therapy is currently considered an alternative medical practice used in several clinical situations, providing another way to prevent and cure many diseases of physical and emotional nature. This study aimed to investigate the effect of essences of the Brazilian Compound Flower System of Joel Aleixo in one same group of domestic cats showing suggestive clinical signs of Feline Respiratory Disease (FRD), treated in different moments (M0, M1, M2, M3). Twenty domestic cats, males and females, of mixed breed, with average age 5.63 ± 3.02, raised in the UFRPE's cattery, were used. The animals were orally treated with flower essences in two steps. Firstly with Total Desintus and Total Helminthus flower for 14 days and in the second step with Antibius and Regius for 28 days. The obtained results related to clinical aspects were a decrease in nasal and ocular discharge, and lung stertors; disappearance of clinical signal such as altered stool, ulcers in the oral cavity, bristling and hypertrophy of lymph nodes. Regarding hematological aspects, there was interference in the variables related to the blood (hemoglobin, MCV, MCHC, leucocytes, lymphocytes and monocytes). It can be concluded that flower therapy was effective in cats with signs suggestive of FRD raised under the same management conditions.