Socio-economic urban scaling properties: Influence of regional geographic heterogeneities in Brazil.

The recent efforts dedicated to understanding important features and consequences of city growth have profited from the scaling approach to urban indicators. This kind of analysis can be conveniently used to investigate the impact of geo-economic transformations, like fast urbanization and industrial development, which occurred in continental size countries (e.g., India, China, and Brazil) during the past half-century. Profiting from high quality data, this work explores how scaling relationships among urban indicators are influenced by strong regional heterogeneities in Brazil. It is based on economic, infrastructure and violence related data sets for the time interval 2002-2016. Results indicate that regional specificities related to infrastructure, economic development, and geography have a larger influence on the absolute value of the urban indexes. Regional scaling similarities and differences among Brazilian regions were also uncovered. Interesting enough, the results indicate that the richest and poorest Brazilian regions share similar scaling behavior, despite all huge different local influences. By contrast, the results for the two richest regions, with similar average values of urban indexes and the same kind of local influences have rather different scaling properties. Thus, scaling analysis suggests that distinct political solutions might be necessary to improve life's quality, even for two regions with similar average values of urban indicators.

Genotyping of HBV and tracking of resistance mutations in treatment-naïve patients with chronic hepatitis B.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Resistance mutation analogs to nucleos(t)ides have been described in treatment-naïve patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), with clinical implications. The aim of this study was to investigate primary resistance mutations and genotypes circulating in patients naïve to chronic hepatitis B, in the Northern and Northeastern regions of Brazil. METHODS: We conducted a study of resistance mutations and genotypic characterization of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in 189 treatment-naïve patients chronically infected with HBV. RESULTS: Drug resistance-associated mutations located in the RT domain of the P gene (rtHBV) were found in 6% of the treatment-naïve patients from the Northeastern Region. The mutations were rtA194T, rtL180M + rtM204V, rtS202I, rtM204I, and rtA181S. No patient in the Northern Region had the resistance mutation. In the gene S region, the frequency of vaccine escape mutations was 2.4% in the Northeastern Region and 8.6% in the Northern Region. CONCLUSION: This information before the start of treatment may contribute to clinical decision making, reducing treatment failure and the risk of progression to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma for CHB.

Mutations associated with drug resistance and prevalence of vaccine escape mutations in patients with chronic hepatitis B infection.

The Brazilian public health system (SUS) has provided antiviral drugs for chronic hepatitis B treatment for over 10 years, but a system for monitoring for drug-related resistance mutations is not available. Determine the presence of HBV mutations associated with resistance to nucleos(t)ide analogs among 81 patients with chronic HBV infection in Salvador-BA-Brazil. HBV-DNA was PCR amplified with primers deduced from the rt domain at the HBV P gene, the sequence extended 1032 bp (from amino acid 1 to 344-rt domain). Those sequences were submitted to the HBV drug resistance database to retrieve each mutation according to the genotype. HBV genotype A1 (85.2%) was the most prevalent, followed by genotype A2 (4.9%), F (6.2%), and C1, D2, and D4 (1.2% each). Six patients (7%) exhibited resistance mutations to LAM, ETV, and TDF: two with patterns L180M + M204V and four with other different patterns: L80I + L180M + M204I; L80V + L180M + M204V; M204I; A194T. All of these mutations were present in patients with genotype A (four A1 and two A2). In addition, four mutations in gene S (three cases with the sI195M mutation and one with the W196L mutation), were detected, corresponding to a rate of 6% of vaccine escape mutations. Althougth the small sample size, an association was found between the occurrence of HBV resistance mutations and HBeAg positivity, co-infection with HIV and a history of treatment for HBV and/or HIV.

3-Ishwarone, a rare ishwarane sesquiterpene from Peperomia scandens Ruiz & Pavon: structural elucidation through a joint experimental and theoretical study.

3-Ishwarone, (1), a sesquiterpene with a rare ishwarane skeleton, was isolated from Peperomia scandens Ruiz & Pavon (Piperaceae). Its structure was unambiguously determined by 1D- and 2D-NMR and infrared analyses, as well as by comparative theoretical studies which involved calculations of 13C-NMR chemical shifts, using the Density Functional Theory (DFT) with the mPW1PW91 hybrid functional and Pople's 6-31G(d) basis set, and of vibrational frequencies, using the B3LYP hybrid functional and triple ζ Dunning's correlation consistent basis set (cc-pVTZ), of (1) and three of its possible diastereomers, compounds 2-4.

Changing patterns of drug and alcohol use in fatally injured drivers in Washington State.

We have previously reported on patterns of drug and alcohol use in fatally injured drivers in Washington State. Here we revisit that population to examine how drug use patterns have changed in the intervening 9 years. Blood and serum specimens from drivers who died within 4 h of a traffic accident between February 1, 2001, and January 31, 2002, were analyzed for illicit and therapeutic drugs and alcohol. Drugs when present were quantitated. Samples suitable for testing were obtained from 370 fatally injured drivers. Alcohol was detected above 0.01 g/100 mL in 41% of cases. The mean alcohol concentration for those cases was 0.17 g/100 mL (range 0.02-0.39 g/100 mL). Central nervous system (CNS) active drugs were detected in 144 (39%) cases. CNS depressants including carisoprodol, diazepam, hydrocodone, diphenhydramine, amitriptyline, and others were detected in 52 cases (14.1%), cannabinoids were detected in 47 cases (12.7%), CNS stimulants (cocaine and amphetamines) were detected in 36 cases (9.7%), and narcotic analgesics (excluding morphine which is often administered iatrogenically in trauma cases) were detected in 12 cases (3.2%). For those cases which tested positive for alcohol c. 40% had other drugs present which have the potential to cause or contribute to the driver's impairment. Our report also considers the blood drug concentrations in the context of their interpretability with respect to driving impairment. The data reveal that over the past decade, while alcohol use has declined, some drug use, notably methamphetamine, has increased significantly (from 1.89% to 4.86% of fatally injured drivers) between 1992 and 2002. Combined drug and alcohol use is a very significant pattern in this population and is probably overlooked in DUI enforcement programs.