Influence of anthropic changes and environmental characteristics on the occurrence of Tegumentary Leishmaniasis in Montes Claros, Minas Gerais, Brazil, between 2012 and 2019.

This is an ecological study that investigated the influence of environmental, socioeconomic characteristics and changes in land use and cover on the occurrence of Tegumentary Leishmaniasis (TL) in the city of Montes Claros. The relationships between the number of cases of TL, which occurred between 2012 and 2019, in each census sector and the standardized covariates (Number of properties, altitude, Brazilian Deprivation Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), proportion of sector (PS) deforested, PS that underwent other anthropic alterations and unaltered PS) were evaluated with ecological Bayesian Models. Four multivariate models were constructed, with similar quality of adjustments, but Model 1 was the most parsimonious. Model 1 revealed that for each one-unit increase of standard deviation (SD) in the log of the number of properties, at the altitude and root of the deforested PS, corresponds to an increase of 44%, 34% and 24.5% in the number of cases of TL, respectively. The variable NDVI, included in models 3 and 4, was positively associated with the increase in the number of TL cases, being that for each one-unit increase in the NDVI was verified an increase of 21.3% and 20.2% respectively in the models. This study showed that the spatial distribution of TL cases in the city of Montes Claros occurs in a heterogeneous way and our findings support the hypothesis that socio-environmental characteristics and deforestation influence the occurrence of this disease in the studied area. Thus, these factors must be considered for the development of disease control strategies.

Lethal violence against women in southern Brazil: Spatial analysis and associated factors.

OBJECTIVE: estimate the risk for the occurrence of lethal violence against women and to identify the associated factors in the state of Paraná. METHOD: ecological study of deaths of women aged between 15 and 59 years, victims of aggression. The units of analysis were the cities of Paraná. Latent Bayesian Gaussian models with negative binomial probability distribution were used. The modeling considered intercept, spatial random effects and covariates, performed with the deterministic Integrated Nested Laplace Approximations approach. RESULTS: There was a positive association between lethal violence against women and the percentage of mothers who were heads of households. Finally, male homicide rates, rates of non-lethal violence against women and the cities with women mayors and councilors were also associated. CONCLUSION: This type of violence was associated with low education, structural violence and the participation of women in politics.

Detecção de áreas vulneráveis ​​ao escorpionismo e sua associação com fatores ambientais em São Paulo, Brasil / Detection of areas vulnerable to scorpionism and its association with environmental factors in São Paulo, Brazil

Accidents caused by scorpions are considered a neglected condition and represent a major health problem in most tropical countries, especially for children and elderly people. In Brazil, scorpionism is recurrent in the southeast region, mainly in the state of Sao ˜ Paulo, due to the progressive increase in scorpions found in urban habitats. Thus, our study aimed to provide better insights into the geographic and epidemiological characteristics of scorpion envenomation in Sao ˜ Paulo state and identify the environmental factors that are associated with these accidents. This is an ecological and retrospective study with secondary data on scorpion accidents in the state of Sao ˜ Paulo from 2008 to 2018 obtained from the Notifiable Disease Information System. The SatScan software was used to identify the higher- and lower-risk spatiotemporal clusters. A total of 145,464 scorpion sting cases were recorded in the state of Sao Paulo, between 2008 and 2018; there was a four-fold increase in the incidence rate. Accidents occurred more frequently in the spring season, wherein higher-risk clusters were in the north and northwest regions of the state. High temperatures, low precipitation, and poor natural vegetation are associated with higher risk areas. Our study mapped vulnerable areas for scorpion accidents that can aid in the design ofefficient public health policies, which should be intensified during the spring season.

Effect of social isolation in dengue cases in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil: An analysis during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background Studies have shown that human mobility is an important factor in dengue epidemiology. Changes in mobility resulting from COVID-19 pandemic set up a real-life situation to test this hypothesis. Our objective was to evaluate the effect of reduced mobility due to this pandemic in the occurrence of dengue in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Method It is an ecological study of time series, developed between January and August 2020. We use the number of confirmed dengue cases and residential mobility, on a daily basis, from secondary information sources. Mobility was represented by the daily percentage variation of residential population isolation, obtained from the Google database. We modeled the relationship between dengue occurrence and social distancing by negative binomial regression, adjusted for seasonality. We represent the social distancing dichotomously (isolation versus no isolation) and consider lag for isolation from the dates of occurrence of dengue. Results The risk of dengue decreased around 9.1% (95% CI: 14.2 to 3.7) in the presence of isolation, considering a delay of 20 days between the degree of isolation and the dengue first symptoms. Conclusions We have shown that mobility can play an important role in the epidemiology of dengue and should be considered in surveillance and control activities.

Total antibiotic use in a state-wide area and resistance patterns in Brazilian hospitals: an ecologic study.

INTRODUCTION: Use of antibiotic and bacterial resistance is the result of a complex interaction not completely understood. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the impact of entire antimicrobial use (community plus hospitals) on the incidence of bloodstream infections in intensive care units adjusted by socioeconomic factors, quality of healthcare, and access to the healthcare system. DESIGN: Ecologic study using a hierarchical spatial model. SETTING: Data obtained from 309 hospitals located in the state of São Paulo, Brazil from 2008 to 2011. PARTICIPANTS: Intensive care units located at participant hospitals. OUTCOME: Hospital acquired bloodstream infection caused by MDRO in ICU patients was our primary outcome and data were retrieved from São Paulo Health State Department. Socioeconomic and healthcare indexes data were obtained from IBGE (Brazilian Foundation in charge of national decennial census) and SEADE (São Paulo Planning and Development Department). Information on antimicrobial sales were obtained from IMS Brazil. We divided antibiotics into four different groups (1-4). RESULTS: We observed a direct association between the use of group 1 of antibiotics and the incidences of bloodstream infections caused by MRSA (1.12; 1.04-1.20), and CR-Acinetobacter sp. (1.19; 1.10-1.29). Groups 2 and 4 were directly associated to VRE (1.72; 1.13-2.39 and 2.22; 1.62-2.98, respectively). Group 2 was inversely associated to MRSA (0.87; 0.78-0.96) and CR-Acinetobacter sp. (0.79; 0.62-0.97). Group 3 was inversely associated to Pseudomonas aeruginosa (0.69; 0.45-0.98), MRSA (0.85; 0.72-0.97) and VRE (0.48; 0.21-0.84). No association was observed for third generation cephalosporin-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli. CONCLUSIONS: The association between entire antibiotic use and resistance in ICU was poor and not consistent for all combinations of antimicrobial groups and pathogens even after adjusted by socioeconomic indexes. Selective pressure exerted at the community level seemed not to affect the incidences of MDRO infection observed in intensive care setting.

Use of an Extended Premise Condition Index for detection of priority areas for vector control actions

The Premise Condition Index (PCI), proposed by Tun-Lin and colleagues in 1995, is a score that considers the conditions of a premise as well its yards and degree of shading. They hypothesized that the higher its value the greater the probability of the premise having the presence of Aedes aegypti. This study aimed to evaluate if there is a correspondence between PCI and Ae. aegypti infestation in four areas of a large city in the State of São Paulo, Brazil, if the inclusion of new categories related to the presence of animals in premises would increase the probability of detecting predictive areas for vector control actions and, if so, to propose an expanded PCI. The positivity of the premises for the presence of Ae. aegypti was modeled considering a Bernoulli probability distribution, in a Bayesian context using the Integrated Nested Laplace Approximation. The study showed that, in general, the higher the value of the PCI of a premise, the more likely it is to have the presence of Ae. aegypti, and the inclusion of information on the animals' presence can increase the discriminatory power of PCI. These results support the proposition of an extended PCI that would consider, in addition to the conditions of the premise, the presence of animals to classify it regarding the risk of the presence of Ae. aegypti.

Hairdressers are exposed to high concentrations of formaldehyde during the hair straightening procedure.

The fact that hairdressers are exposed to toxic substances through the handling of creams and smoothing products prompted this study whose aim was to quantify the occupational exposure of hairdressers to formaldehyde by comparing the results of exposure for different types of beauty salon. The study population consisted of 23 beauty salons located in the city of Bauru, São Paulo state, Brazil. The samples were collected by inhaled air tests during the most critical 15-min period of the hair straightening procedure and during the 8-h work shift. The concentrations of formaldehyde contained in the formulations of these products were also evaluated and compared with exposure levels. The results were evaluated according to the exposure limits prescribed in Brazilian (NR15) and North American (US OSHA and US NIOSH) standards. The analysis of the smoothing products showed concentrations of formaldehyde of between 3 and 11% in their compositions, i.e., up to 54 times above the 0.2% limit allowed by the National Agency of Sanitary Surveillance (ANVISA). The present study showed that hairdressers are chronically exposed to high concentrations of formaldehyde in the workplace and these exposures are mainly associated with the work process, where many variables of this process influence the intensity of exposure.

How do social-economic differences in urban areas affect tuberculosis mortality in a city in the tri-border region of Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina.

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization (WHO) launched the "End TB Strategy", which aims to reduce tuberculosis (TB) mortality by 95% by 2035, Brazil has made a commitment to this, however, one challenge is achieving the goal in the border region, where the TB situation is more critical. The proposal was to analyse the spatial mortality due to TB and its socio-economic determinants in the general population, around the border areas of Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina, as well as the temporal trend in this region. METHOD: This ecological study considered the cases of TB deaths of residents of Foz do Iguaçu (BR), with its units of analysis being the census sectors. The standardized mortality rate was calculated for each area. Socioeconomic variables data were obtained from the 2010 Demographic Census of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). The scan statistic was applied to calculate the spatial relative risk (RR), considering a 95% confidence interval (CI). Spatial dependence was analysed using the Global Bivariate Moran I and Local Bivariate Moran I (LISA) to test the relationship between the socioeconomic conditions of the urban areas and mortality from TB. Analysis of the temporal trend was also performed using the Prais-Winsten test. RESULTS: A total of 74 cases of TB death were identified, of which 53 (71.6%) were male and 51 (68.9%) people of white skin colour. The mortality rate ranged from 0.28 to 22.75 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. A spatial relative risk area was identified, RR = 5.07 (95% CI 1.79-14.30). Mortality was associated with: proportion of people of brown skin colour (I: 0.0440, p = 0.033), income (low income I: - 0.0611, p = 0.002; high income I: - 0.0449, p = 0.026) and density of residents (3 and 4 residents, I: 0.0537, p = 0.007; 10 or more residents, I: - 0.0390, p = 0.035). There was an increase in the mortality rate in people of brown skin colour (6.1%; 95% CI = 0.029, 0.093). CONCLUSION: Death due to TB was associated with income, race resident density and social conditions. Although the TB mortality rate is stationary in the general population, it is increasing among people of brown skin colour.

Death in patients with tuberculosis and diabetes: Associated factors.

AIMS: Identify factors associated with death in patients with tuberculosis and diabetes. METHOD: The descriptive - analytic epidemiologic study using secondary data of tuberculosis cases reported in TBWEB from 1996 to 2014 is used. The profile analysis of the variables in relation to death controlled by the cure of the patients was performed by the software R, the independent variables that could be associated with the dependent variable in a 20% significance level, using the chi-square test. The analysis was performed on an unconditional logistic regression model. Odds ratio (OR) adjusted measures were obtained in order to evaluate the strength of association between independent variables. RESULTS: Looking into the database TBWEB, from 1996 to 2014, 5361 cases of TB were reported, and from these cases, 4447 contained information about the closure and were complete. Patients with TB and DM represented 306 cases (6.35%). In relation to death, protective factors were: diabetes with OR: 0.69; follow up received during the treatment of medium and high complexity services, with OR: 0.51 and the other type with OR: 0.56. CONCLUSION: Diabetes appeared as a protective factor for death in patients with tuberculosis in this study. The development of studies like this allows the expansion of knowledge on the TB-DM association.

The Impact of Restricting Over-the-Counter Sales of Antimicrobial Drugs: Preliminary Analysis of National Data.

To describe the nationwide impact of a restrictive law on over-the-counter sales of antimicrobial drugs, implemented in Brazil in November 2010. Approximately 75% of the population receives healthcare from the public health system and receives free-of-charge medication if prescribed. Total sales in private pharmacies as compared with other channels of sales of oral antibiotics were evaluated in this observational study before and after the law (2008-2012). Defined daily dose per 1000 inhabitants per day (DDD/TID) was used as standard unit. In private pharmacies the effect of the restrictive law was statistically significant (P < 0.001) with an estimated decrease in DDD/TID of 1.87 (s.e. =  0.18). In addition, the trend of DDD/TID before the restrictive law was greater than after the intervention (P < 0.001). Before November 2010, the slope for the trend line was estimated as 0.08 (s.e. = 0.01) whereas after the law, the estimated slope was 0.03 (s.e. = 0.01). As for the nonprivate channels, no difference in sales was observed (P = 0.643). The impact in the South and Southeast (more developed) regions was higher than in the North, Northeast, and Mid-West. The state capitals had a 19% decrease, compared with 0.8% increase in the rest of the states. Before the law, the sales of antimicrobial drugs were steadily increasing. From November 2010, with the restrictive law, there was an abrupt drop in sales followed by an increase albeit at a significantly lower rate. The impact was higher in regions with better socio-economic status.

Tuberculose e análise espacial: revisão da literatura / La tuberculosis y análisis espacial: revisión de la literatura / Tuberculosis and spatial analysis: literature review

Objetivo: Analisar no meio científico os artigos que abordem a tuberculose com o uso de ferramentas de sistema de informação geográfica (SIG) e a análise espacial. Método: Trata-se de um estudo de revisão bibliográfica, cuja fonte de busca foi o portal eletrônico da Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde (BVS), as bases de dados Scopus e Web of Knowledge (ISI) pelo portal da Coordenação de aperfeiçoamento de pessoal de nivel superior (CAPES). Os descritores utilizados foram tuberculose e análise espacial, tuberculose e sistema de informação geográfica e, tuberculose e características de residência. Realizou-se o ordenamento e a análise da bibliografia científica, de modo a avaliar e discutir aspectos relacionados ao uso das técnicas de análise especial para o controle da tuberculose. Resultados: Em relação ao enfoque abordado/discutido, as principais categorias foram: "Situação epidemiológica" (51,0 por cento) e "área de risco de transmissão" (21,6 por cento). As principais conclusões referem-se às incidências elevadas de tuberculose em áreas de pobreza, aglomerado de casos, associação com superlotação, identificação de bacilo por genotipagem, associação com níveis socioeconómicos e demográficos, utilização de sistemas de informação geográfica (SIG) para melhoria da acessibilidade as ações de atenção primária a saúde. Conclusões: Análise espacial ajuda a evidenciar a subnotificação de agravos e obter taxas mais fidedignas por meio do mapeamento dos casos, contribuindo para o avanço na gestão pública e diminuição das iniquidades em saúde, além de permitir a otimização dos recursos materiais, financeiros e humanos. Os SIG e ferramentas de análise espacial representam grande avanço para o gerenciamento da tuberculose.

Objective: To evaluate in scientific articles addressing tuberculosis about using geographic information systems (GIS) and spatial analysis tools. Method: Literature review, whose search source was the Virtual Health Library (VHL), Scopus and Web of Knowledge (ISI) through the data portal of the Coordenação pessoal aperfeiçoamento de pessoal de nivel superior (CAPES). Key search terms, tuberculosis and spatial analysis, geographic information system and tuberculosis and characteristics of residence were used in combination with the MeSH search terms. Planning and analysis of the scientific literature in order to evaluate and discuss issues related to the use of spatial analysis techniques for the control of tuberculosis, were conducted. Results: Concerning the approach addressed/discussed, the main categories were "epidemiological situation" (51.0 percent) and "area with risk of tuberculosis transmission" (21.6 percent). The main findings are related to the high incidence of tuberculosis in areas of poverty, cluster of cases, association with overpopulation, identification of bacillus by genotyping, association with demographic and socioeconomic levels, and use of geographic information systems (GIS) to improve accessibility of actions of primary health care. Conclusions: We concluded that the spatial analysis helps to highlight the underreporting on health damages and to obtain more reliable rates through the mapping of cases. It also contributes to improve public management and reduction of inequities in health, and allows the optimization of material, financial and human resources in health. The geographic information systems and the spatial analysis tools represent a considerable improvement in the management of tuberculosis.

Objetivo: Examinar en los artículos científicos que se ocupan de la tuberculosis el uso de sistemas de información geográfica (SIG) y herramientas de análisis espacial. Material y métodos: Revisión bibliográfica, cuya fuente de busqueda fue la Biblioteca Virtual en Salud (BVS), Scopus y Web of Knowledge (ISI) a través del portal de datos de la Coordenação de aperfeiçoamento de pessoal de nivel superior (CAPES). Los descriptores utilizados fueron: tuberculosis y análisis espacial, tuberculosis y sistema de información geográfica, tuberculosis y características de residencia. Se llevó a cabo la planificación y análisis de la literatura científica con el fin de evaluar y discutir aspectos relacionados con el uso de técnicas de análisis espacial para el control de la tuberculosis. Resultados: En relación al enfoque dirigido/discutido las principales categorías fueron: "situación epidemiológica" (51,0 por ciento) y "zona de riesgo de transmisión" (21,6 por ciento). Los principales hallazgos se refieren a alta incidencia de tuberculosis en áreas de pobreza, grupo de casos asociados a superpoblación, identificación del bacilo por genotipo, asociación con niveles demográficos y socioeconómicos, uso de sistemas de información geográfica para mejorar la accesibilidad a acciones de atención primaria de salud. Conclusiones: El análisis espacial ayuda a resaltar el subregistro de lesiones y obtener tasas más fiables mediante la asignación de casos, contribuyendo al avance en la gestión pública y la reducción de inequidades en salud, y permite la optimización de los recursos materiales, financieros y humanos. Los SIG y herramientas de análisis espacial representan un gran avance para el tratamiento de la tuberculosis.

Assessment of entomological indicators of Aedes aegypti (L.) from adult and egg collections in São Paulo, Brazil.

We compared the presence and mean number of eggs from oviposition traps with the mean number of Aedes aegypti females captured by manual aspirators and by MosquiTRAPs to determine the sensitivity of each method and to standardize each indicator. The collections of adults and eggs were performed over 23 weeks in six neighborhoods of Mirassol, state of São Paulo, Brazil. A better assessment of indicators required larger number of MosquiTRAPs, but to quantify the number of females per house, one trap was sufficient. The sensitivities of MosquiTRAPs and manual aspirations to detect the presence of A. aegypti females were similar, but were lower compared to oviposition traps. The correlation coefficients between the number of females captured by MosquiTRAPs and manual aspirations and the number of eggs from oviposition traps were low, which may be a consequence of each method showing different stages of the mosquito life cycle.