Cleansing the world of the germ of laziness: hygiene, sanitation, and the Javanese population in Suriname / Limpando o mundo do germe da preguiça: higiene, saneamento e população javanesa no Suriname

In 1915 the Rockefeller Foundation took its hookworm eradication campaign to Suriname, but was soon disappointed because of opposition from its main target group: the Javanese. Moreover, authorities and planters objected to the construction of latrines because of the costs and their belief that the Javanese were “unhygienic”. In describing the labor migration from Java to Suriname, I show that this “lack of hygiene” was closely related to the system’s organization. I argue that uncleanliness was the consequence of harmful socio-economic and ecological conditions. Secondly I suggest that even though the Foundation did not manage to cleanse Suriname of hookworm, its educational efforts, its emphasis on prevention, and its training of local health workers probably had more impact than Rockefeller officials thought.

Em 1915, a Fundação Rockefeller levou sua campanha de erradicação da ancilostomíase ao Suriname, logo sofrendo a oposição de seu principal alvo, os javaneses. Autoridades e proprietários rurais também reagiram à instalação de latrinas devido aos custos implicados e à crença de que os javaneses eram “anti-higiênicos”. Ao descrever a migração de trabalhadores de Java para o Suriname, mostro que a “falta de higiene” ligava-se à organização do sistema. Argumento que a sujeira era consequência de condições ecológicas e socioeconômicas danosas. Sugiro ainda que, embora a Fundação não tenha livrado o Suriname da anciolostomíase, seus esforços educacionais, sua ênfase na prevenção e o treinamento de profissionais de saúde locais tiveram maior impacto do que o imaginado pelos funcionários da agência norte-americana.

Verrugas genitales e infección por papilomavirus humano / Genital warts and infection by human papilloma virus

Se discute el manejo y el tratamiento de la infección por papilomavirus humano. La conducta depende de la localización de las lesiones siendo diferente para las vulvovaginales y peneanas que para las cérvicouterinas. En estas últimas el examen coloscópico, la búsqueda de lesiones acetoblancas y la biopsia son indispensables. Entre los recursos terapéuticos disponibles se señalan las drogas citodestructoras (podofilino, podofilotoxina, ácido tricloroacético y 5-fluoruracilo); la cirugía y las drogas inmunomoduladoras (interferones y dinitroclorobenceno). También se han ensayado vacunas y antivirales. Se recalca la importancia de los controles periódicos de los pacientes tratados y en las mujeres del examen ginecológico, de la citología cérvicouterina y de la biopsia de las eventuales lesiones detectadas. Se comenta el tratamiento de las verrugas genitales de los niños y de las que se detectan en el curso del embarazo

5-HT2 receptor blockade by ICI 170.809 does not affect the inhibitory effect of the 5-HT1a receptor ligand gepirone on neuroleptic induced catalepsy

Considerable experimental evidence suggests that central dopaminergic (DA) transmission is under serotonergic (5-HTergic) modulation. For instance, neuroleptic-induced catalepsy (NIC) in rodents, a behavior mainly due to blockade of DA receptors in the striatum, can be affected by 5-HTergic manipulation. It has been shown that ligands of 5-HT1A receptors (e.g. buspirone, gepirone) reduce NIC, while 5-HT2 receptor antagonists (e.g. ritanserin) do not affect this phenomenon. However, the role of 5-HT2 receptors in the modulation of NIC is still controversial and there is evidence from behavioral models other than NIC suggesting the existence of functional interaction between the two subtypes of 5-HT receptors. The present study was designed to evaluate the effect of ICI 170,809 (a selective 5-HT2 receptor antagonist) on NIC and to test the possible effect of this drug on the anticataleptic effect of gepirone (GP). Male Wistar rats weighing 300-350 g were used, and each animal (7 per group, 4 groups) was used only once. Catalepsy was induced with haloperiodol (H; 1 mg/kg, ip) and measured at 30-min intervals by means of a bar test. Animals received either ICI 170,809 (3 mg/kg, ip) or 0.9 percent saline(SL; 0.8 ml, ip) 30 min before H. At 110 min after H, the rats received GP (1 mg/kg, ip) or SL (0.8 ml, ip). GP significantly attenuated NIC (e.g. 739 + or - 106 s vs 1009 + or - 85 s for controls, at 150 min after H), while ICI 170,809 did not significantly affect the phenomenon (e.g. 978 + or - 89 s vs 1009 + or - s for controls, at 150 min after H). Pretreatment with ICI 170,809 did not significantly modify the anticataleptic effect of GP (e.g. 617 + or - 90 s vs 739 + or - 106 s for SL-pretreated animals, at 150 min after H). These results confirm reports of the anticataleptic effect of GP and the lack of effect of 5-HT2 receptor antagonists on NIC. Moreover, these data also suggest the absence of functional interactions between central 5-HT1A and 5-HT2 receptors in this model of DA transmission