ABSTRACT Most studies regarding the impacts of agricultural systems on soils of the Amazon region of Brazil have been carried out on upland soil, locally known as terra firme. Information regarding the impacts of different land-use systems on floodplain soil properties is still scarce. There is a need to broaden this knowledge to understand this Amazonian ecosystem better, especially how its soils respond to human interventions. This study aimed to describe the major chemical features of floodplain soils along the Solimões-Amazon Rivers and the effects of different land-use systems on soil nutrient levels. Sixty-two different land-use systems were sampled in 15 communities located in three different regions of the Solimões/Amazonas River floodplain complex: Upper and Middle Solimões (UMS), Lower Solimões and Middle Amazon (LSMA), and Lower Amazon (LA). Soils under cultivation showed a high availability of Ca2+, Mg2+, and P and low levels of exchangeable Al, in contrast to soils under forest and secondary vegetation, which were more acid and showed higher levels of exchangeable Al. Although most of the samples showed high contents of K+, for some areas, the low level (K+ <0.15 cmolc kg-1) of this nutrient can become limiting to crop production. The low levels of N found in most of the analyzed samples confirm that this element may be the limiting nutrient for agriculture in floodplain ecosystems. The use of legumes and other nutrient-rich plants, which naturally occur in the Amazon floodplain environments, could potentially address this N deficiency in these soils.

This essay explores the first chapter of the Book of Daniel as an example of resistance against an empire. Using the experience of Native Americans, especially children at the Carlisle Residential Indian School, the tropes of naming, diet, and the body in Daniel 1 are read as a call to resistance and gamesmanship in the narrative environment of the Neo-Babylonian Empire and the authorial context of the Selucid Hellenistic Empire. With reference to similar situations in South Africa and elsewhere, this reading of the story in Daniel 1 sees a promise of God's support in religious fidelity accompanied by cultural code switching.

Background: There is limited information describing pharmacist participation in prophylactic enoxaparin monitoring in the surgical intensive care unit (SICU). Objective: Our study sought to: 1) characterize pharmacist recommendations for enoxaparin monitoring in trauma patients admitted to the SICU, 2) describe the frequency that medical providers accept pharmacist recommendations for enoxaparin monitoring in trauma patients admitted to the SICU, and 3) illustrate the frequency that trauma patients admitted to our SICU service achieve anti-factor Xa trough concentrations (AFXa-TRs) of 0.11 - 0.20 IU/mL following pharmacist recommendation to adjust prophylactic enoxaparin dosing. Methods: Adult patients who had an AFXa-TR drawn after at least three consecutive prophylactic enoxaparin doses between June 1, 2017 and March 1, 2018 were identified through chart review and included in this study. Patients were excluded based on the following criteria: 1) age less than 18 years, 2) anti-factor Xa (AFXa) level not representative of a trough concentration, 3) AFXa-TR not representative of steady state concentration, and 4) non-trauma based prophylactic enoxaparin dosing. This study was exempt from IRB review. Results: The final analysis consisted of 42 patients. A pharmacist provided at least one recommendation in 97.6% (41/42) of trauma patients with enoxaparin monitoring during their SICU stay. In total, a pharmacist made 170 recommendations, mean of 4.2 (SD 1.8) recommendations per patient. Recommendations were: 1) obtain an AFXa-TR, n=90; 2) adjust enoxaparin dose based on AFXa-TR, n=58; and 3) maintain enoxaparin dose based on AFXa-TR, n=22. Medical providers accepted 89.4% (152/170) of pharmacist recommendations for enoxaparin monitoring. Dose adjustments were made in 33 patients following pharmacist recommendation; of these, 27 had a repeat AFXa-TR following at least one dose adjustment. Target AFXa-TRs were achieved in 19/27 patients, indicating 70.4% had recommended AFXa concentrations. Conclusions: Pharmacists provided recommendations for prophylactic enoxaparin monitoring and dose adjustment in trauma patients admitted to the SICU. Medical providers regularly accepted pharmacist recommendations and trauma patients commonly achieved target AFXa-TR following pharmacist recommendation for dose adjustment. Further research is required to identify the optimal enoxaparin dose for VTE prophylaxis in trauma patients.

BACKGROUND: Youth between the ages of 15 years to 24 years account for almost half of new HIV infections in South Africa OBJECTIVES: To describe the study details of the Botsha Bophelo Adolescent Health Study (BBAHS) which was an investigation of HIV risk among adolescents living in Soweto, South Africa METHODS: Eligibility criteria for the BBAHS included being 14 years - 19 years old and living in one of the 41 identified formal and informal areas in the township of Soweto. A cross-sectional survey was developed between investigators and an adolescent community advisory board consisting of previously validated scales and original questions including demographics, sexual and reproductive health, health service utilisation and psychosocial behaviours RESULTS: Between 2010 and 2012, interviewers administered surveys among 830 adolescents (57% females), whose median age was 17 years (Q1, Q3: 16, 18), and found that 43% of participants identified their ethnicity as Zulu, 52% reported high food insecurity, 37% reported at least one parent had died, 15% reported living in a shack and 83% identified as heterosexual. Over half of the participants (55%) reported ever having sex (49% of females and 64% of males), 11% of whom initiated sex at < 15 years of age (3% females and 21% males). Almost half (47%) reported ever testing for HIV, 3% (n = 12) of whom self-reported being HIV-positive and 33% (n = 4) were on antiretroviral therapy CONCLUSION: Our study highlights important individual, relational and structural level determinants of HIV risk for adolescent men and women growing up within HIV hyperendemic settings

Carrapatos e as doenças por eles transmitidas causam grandes perdas econômicas ao gado dos países tropicais. Alternativas não-químicas incluem o uso de raças de gado que sejam resistentes, controle biológico e vacinas. No entanto, o método mais utilizado é a aplicação de diferentes classes químicas de acaricidas e lactonas macrocíclicas. Populações de piolhos de gado, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus, resistentes aos organofosfatos (OP), piretoides sintéticos (SP), amitraz e fipronil, foram descritas no México. Lactonas macrocíclicas são as drogas antiparasitárias mais vendidas no mercado veterinário mexicano. Populações de R. (B.) microplus resistentes à irvemectina foram relatadas no Brasil, Uruguai e especialmente no México (Veracruz e Yucatan). Embora os níveis de resistência à ivermectina no R. (B.) microplus do México tenha sido relativamente baixa, na maioria dos casos, algumas populações campestres de R. (B.) microplus mostraram altos níveis de resistência à ivermectina. A população CHPAT mostrou uma razão de resistência de 10,23 e 79,6 na concentração letal de 50% e 99%, respectivamente. Muitas populações campestres de R. (B.) microplussão resistentes a múltiplas classes de drogas antiparasitárias, incluindo organofosfatos (clorpirifós, coumafos e diazinon), piretoides (flumetrina, deltametrina e cipermetrina), amitraz e ivermectina. Este artigo relata o estado atual de resistência do R. (B.) microplus aos acaricidas, especialmente ivermectina, no gado mexicano.

Ticks and the diseases they transmit cause great economic losses to livestock in tropical countries. Non-chemical control alternatives include the use of resistant cattle breeds, biological control and vaccines. However, the most widely used method is the application of different chemical classes of acaricides and macrocyclic lactones. Populations of the cattle tick, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus, resistant to organophosphates (OP), synthetic pyrethroids (SP), amitraz and fipronil have been reported in Mexico. Macrocyclic lactones are the most sold antiparasitic drug in the Mexican veterinary market. Ivermectin-resistant populations of R. (B.) microplus have been reported in Brazil, Uruguay and especially in Mexico (Veracruz and Yucatan). Although ivermectin resistance levels in R. (B.) microplus from Mexico were generally low in most cases, some field populations of R. (B.) microplus exhibited high levels of ivermectin resistance. The CHPAT population showed a resistance ratio of 10.23 and 79.6 at lethal concentration of 50% and 99%, respectively. Many field populations of R. (B.) microplus are resistant to multiple classes of antiparasitic drugs, including organophosphates (chlorpyrifos, coumaphos and diazinon), pyrethroids (flumethrin, deltamethrin and cypermethrin), amitraz and ivermectin. This paper reports the current status of the resistance of R. (B.) microplus to acaricides, especially ivermectin, in Mexican cattle.

Backgound: Our objective was to evaluate the accuracy of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk score classification by direct LDL cholesterol (dLDL-C), calculated LDL cholesterol (cLDL-C), and non-HDL cholesterol (non-HDL-C) compared to classification by reference measurement procedures (RMPs) performed at the CDC. Methods: We examined 175 individuals, including 138 with CVD or conditions that may affect LDL-C measurement. dLDL-C measurements were performed using Denka, Kyowa, Sekisui, Serotec, Sysmex, UMA, and Wako reagents. cLDL-C was calculated by the Friedewald equation, using each manufacturer's direct HDL-C assay measurements, and total cholesterol and triglyceride measurements by Roche and Siemens (Advia) assays, respectively. Results: For participants with triglycerides <2.26 mmol/L (<200 mg/dL), the overall misclassification rate for the CVD risk score ranged from 5% to 17% for cLDL-C methods and 8% to 26% for dLDL-C methods when compared to the RMP. Only Wako dLDL-C had fewer misclassifications than its corresponding cLDL-C method (8% vs 17%; P < 0.05). Non-HDL-C assays misclassified fewer patients than dLDL-C for 4 of 8 methods (P < 0.05). For participants with triglycerides <2.26 mmol/L (200 mg/dL) and <4.52 mmol/L (<400 mg/dL), dLDL-C methods, in general, performed better than cLDL-C methods, and non-HDL-C methods showed better correspondence to the RMP for CVD risk score than either dLDL-C or cLDL-C methods. Conclusions: Except for hypertriglyceridemic individuals, 7 of 8 dLDL-C methods failed to show improved CVD risk score classification over the corresponding cLDL-C methods. Non-HDL-C showed overall the best concordance with the RMP for CVD risk score classification of both normal and hypertriglyceridemic individuals

Antecedentes: Nuestro objetivo fue evaluar la exactitud en el score de la clasificación del riesgo de enfermedad cardiovascular (ECV) por parte de la medida directa de colesterol de LDL (dc-LDL), del cálculo del colesterol LDL (cc-LDL), y del colesterol no HDL (no-c-HDL) en comparación a la clasificación por los métodos de referencia (MR) realizados en el CDC. Métodos: Se estudiaron 175 pacientes, entre ellos 138 con ECV u otras condiciones que puedan afectar a la medición de c-LDL. Las mediciones de dc-LDL se realizaron con reactivos Denka, Kyowa, Sekisui, Serotec, Sysmex, UMA y Wako. Se calculó cc-LDL mediante la ecuación de Friedewald, usando la respectiva medida directa del colesterol de HDL de cada fabricante y las mediciones de colesterol total y triglicéridos medidas por Roche y Siemens (Advia), respectivamente. Resultados: Para los participantes con triglicéridos <2,26 mmol / L (<200 mg / dL), la tasa de errores de clasificación global en el score de riesgo de ECV fue de 5% a 17% con los métodos de cc-LDL, y del 8% al 26% para los métodos dc-LDL en comparación con los MR. Sólo el dc-LDL realizado por Wako presentó menos errores de clasificación que su método de cc-LDL correspondiente (8% vs 17%, p<0,05). El no-c-HDL clasificó erróneamente a un menor número de pacientes que dc-LDL en 4 de los 8 métodos (P <0,05). Para los pacientes con triglicéridos >2,26 mmol / L (>200 mg / dL) y <4,52 mmol / L (<400 mg / dL), los métodos de dc-LDL, en general, presentaron mejores resultados que los métodos cc-LDL, y los métodos de no-c-HDL mostraron una mejor correspondencia con el MR en el score de clasificación de riesgo de ECV que los métodos de dc-LDL como de cc-LDL. Conclusiones: A excepción de las personas hipertrigliceridémicas, 7 de los 8 métodos de dc-LDL fallaron en mejorar el score de clasificación de riesgo de ECV sobre los correspondientes métodos de cc-LDL. No-c-HDL mostró en general la mejor concordancia con el MR en el score de clasificación de riesgo de ECV en individuos normales y con hipertrigliceridemia.

Este estudo foi realizado com o objetivo de se obter uma visão epidemiológica da resistência aos acaricidas nas populações de Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus no Estado de Mato Grosso do Sul. Vinte e quatro amostras de carrapatos foram coletadas em cidades do estado onde os fazendeiros relataram preocupação com resistência ou falha no controle dos carrapatos. Estes carrapatos foram submetidos a testes de detecção de resistência in vitro usando o teste de imersão de adultos (TIA). A eficácia do tratamento com alfa-cipermetrina, cipermetrina e amitraz foi geralmente pobre nas amostras coletadas em todo o Estado. Obteve-se eficácia de >90% no TIA com o DDVP + chlorfenvinphos (20 das 21 cidades), Diclorvós + Cipermetrina (10 das 16 cidades), e Cipermetrina + Citronela + Clorpirifós + Butóxido de piperonila (20 das 21 cidades). O ensaio da PCR foi utilizado para detectar a presença de mutação do gene do canal de sódio associado à resistência a piretróide. Avaliaram-se larvas de três diferentes populações onde anteriormente foi diagnosticada à resistência por TIA. Os ensaios da PCR mostraram que a mutação no gene associado à resistência ao piretróide estava ausente nessas três populações. Esse estudo confirma que o surgimento da resistência é um constante desafio para a pecuária e o desenvolvimento de resistência continua a ser um importante estímulo para o desenvolvimento de novas drogas antiparasitárias.

This study was conducted to obtain an epidemiological view of acaricide resistance in populations of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus in the State of Mato Grosso do Sul. Twenty-four tick samples were collected from municipalities in the State where farmers had reported concerns about resistance to or failure of tick control. These ticks were subjected to in vitro resistance detection assays using the adult immersion test (AIT). The efficacy of alpha-cypermethrin, cypermethrin and amitraz treatments on samples collected throughout the State was generally poor. AIT showed efficacy > 90% from the use of DDVP + chlorfenvinphos) (20 out of 21 municipalities), dichlorvos + cypermethrin (10 out of 16 municipalities) and cypermethrin + citronella + chlorpyrifos + piperonyl butoxide (20 out of 21 municipalities). PCR assays were used to detect the presence of pyrethroid resistance-associated sodium channel gene mutation. Larvae from three different populations that had previously been diagnosed as pyrethroid-resistant, through AIT, were evaluated. The PCR assays showed that the pyrethroid resistance-associated gene mutation was absent from these three populations. This study confirms that the emergence of resistance is a constant challenge for the livestock industry, and that development of resistance continues to be a major driver for new antiparasitic drugs to be developed.

A variabilidade genética de isolados de Verticillium dahliae oriundos de oliveira (Olea europaea) e de outros hospedeiros na Argentina e Brasil foi estimada através de PCR, usando primers específicos para a amplificação da região espaçadora intergênica do DNA ribossomal (IGS) e de uma porção do gene codificante para a subunidade menor do RNA ribossomal do DNA mitocondrial (mtDNA SSU rRNA). Os fenogramas gerados usando UPGMA, baseados em perfis de restrição da região IGS do rDNA revelaram diferenças genéticas, correlacionadas ao hospedeiro de origem, com isolados originados de oliveira geneticamente distintos daqueles que infetam cacau (Theobroma cacao) e girassol (Helianthus annuus). A digestão dos produtos de PCR do SSU rRNA do DNA mitocondrial revelou menor variabilidade, distinguindo somente um isolado de girassol dos demais. Padrões de restrição da região ITS do rDNA nuclear apresentaram-se idênticos para todos os isolados de V. dahliae, independente de hospedeiro de origem. Estes resultados preliminares podem ter relevância para o desenvolvimento de estratégias de controle das murchas causadas por V. dahliae, possivelmente refletindo uma origem evolucionária diferente, ou isolamento reprodutivo do patógeno causador da murcha em oliveira, que se apresentou distinto de populações originárias de outros hospedeiros.

Using PCR-based assays with specific primers for amplification of the ribosomal DNA intergenic spacer region (IGS) and a portion of the mitochondrial DNA small subunit ribosomal RNA gene (mtDNA SSU rRNA), the genetic variability among Verticillium dahliae isolates from olive (Olea europaea) and other host species from Argentina and Brazil was estimated. The derived UPGMA-generated phenograms based upon the restriction fingerprinting data of rDNA IGS products revealed genetic differences, correlating with the host of origin. Isolates infecting olive genetically distinct from those from cocoa (Theobroma cacao) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus). Digestion of mitochondrial DNA SSU rRNA PCR products revealed less variability, distinguishing only one isolate from sunflower. Ribosomal DNA ITS restriction patterns were identical for all isolates of V. dahliae, irrespective of host of origin. These preliminary results may have relevance for Verticillium wilt control practices, possibly reflecting a different evolutionary origin, or reproductive isolation of the pathogen in olive, distinct from populations of other hosts.

A 1% (W/V) formulation of Niclosamide (2', 5-Dichloro-4-nitrosalicylanilide) (TAP) was tested on Cebus apella monkeys as a topical prophylatic against schistosomiasis mansoni. Two experiments were conducted using the same formulation. In the first experiment, the TAP provided complete protection against schistosomiasis for 3 days. Of the 4 monkeys treated with TAP 7 days before exposure to Schistosoma mansoni cercariae, 2 were completely protected. The remaining 2 monkeys of the 7 day treatment group had a 78% or greater reduction in adult worm buderns when compared to the placebo treated monkeys. The second experiment was designed determine the time between day 3 and 7 when the TAP no longer provided complete protection. However, all of the TAP treated monkeys in this experiment were completely protected, even the monkeys treated 7 days earlier. In both experiments, all monkeys used as infection controls and those receiving only the placebo became infected and showed typical experimental schistosomiasis. These results demonstrate that the TAP could provide fast acting, short-term protection to people who must enter cercariae infested water.

Os índios Waimiri Atroari têm hábitos e costumes bastantes intactos e retiram da floresta, roça e rio os materiais necessários para a alimentação, utensílios e moradia. Este trabalho objetivou fazer um levantamento preliminar do conheciamento e utilização da floresta pelos índios. Foram inventariados todas as árvores com DAP > 6cm em cinco parcelas de 10 x 20m, localizadas 0,5km da aldeia, ao longo de um transecto abrangendo um gradiente de terra firme - baixio. Foram coletadas amostras para herbário e anotadas informações sobre uso e nome indígena. Em 0.1 hectare foram encontradas 135 árvores de 60 espécies, sendo as famílias mais comuns: Lecythidaceae, Leguminosae sensu latu, Burseraceae, Bombacaceae e Lauraceae. Noventa e cinco por cento dessas espécies eram identificadas com um nome específico na língua Waimiri Atroari e as demais receberam um nome genérico ("wiwe ') que quer dizer árvore. De uma amostra de 34 espécies sessenta e cinco por cento tinham algum uso específico. Estes dados demonstram um alto grau de conhecimento e utilização da floresta pelos Waimiri Atroari.

The Waimiri Atroari retain much of their original culture and take from the forest, river, and plantations their food and most of the materials necessary fpr construction, craft, and medicines. This study attempted to quantify their knowledge and use of forest. Five quadrats of 10 x 20m (total = 0,1 hectare) were located along a transition from "terra firme" (upland) to "baixio" (stream valley). Herbarium specimens were collected from trees above 6cm DBH, and Indian names and uses were recorded. In 0,1 hectare, 135 trees belonging to 60 species were found. Lecythidaceae, Leguminosae (sensu latu), Burseraceae, Lauraceae and Bombacaceae were the commonest families. Ninety-five percent of the species received a Waimiri Atroari name, and in a smller sample (n = 34), sixty-five percent of the species had some specific use. These results show a high degree of knowledge and utilization of the forest by the Wairniri Atroari.