Long-term controlled field experiment on the competition between two species of Biomphalaria (Mollusca, Basommatophora), the snail vectors of Schistosoma mansoni in Northeastern Brazil

A long-term controlled field experiment on the interactions of the populations of Biomphalaria glabrata (target population) and B. straminea (competitor) was carried out in the county of Alhandra, state of Paraíba, Brazil, during the period 1980 through 1989. Results obtained in the current paper show that the snail B. straminea has strong competitive advantages over B. glabrata. In six out of nine streams the native population of B. glabrata were totally excluded and replaced by B. straminea. There is evidence showing that seasonal dryness has marked influence on the phenomenon studied in this paper. In all the streams were B. straminea already predominated, return of B. glabrata was never observed.     

乳头腺管口挑拨治疗急性乳腺炎32例

0　引言　急性乳腺炎是产后妇女的常见病 .我们采用针头挑拨治疗急性乳腺炎 32例 ,疗效显著 .1　临床资料　患者 32例 ,年龄 2 3～ 34 (平均 2 5 .3)岁 ,均为产后哺乳产妇 .其中患乳胀痛为共有症状 .伴发热 10例 ;右侧乳腺炎 14例 ,左侧乳腺炎 16例 ,双侧乳腺炎 2例 ;外上象限胀痛 6例 ,外下象限胀痛 8例 ,内上象限胀痛 7例 ,内下象限胀痛 6例 ,二象限同时胀痛 5例 .乳头均无破损 .患者取卧位 ,显露患乳 ,乳头以碘伏严密消毒后 ,术者持五号针头以指腹常规触诊患乳 ,触摸到肿胀部位后 ,沿乳腺管走行方向找到对应的乳头腺管口 ,以针尖轻轻挑拨…     

Giant epignathus in the newborn: report of a case and review of the literature

Epignathus is a congenital teratoide tumor in the oral cavity. It is extremely rare and usually lethal. The authors present a case treated successfully. Important aspects of the diagnosis, clinical management and surgical procedures are discussed. Extensive review of the literature is presented.     

Tissue weight and histologic alterations in pregnant rats submitted to malnutrition and chronic nicotine distress, and in their neonates

The effects of a gestational exposure of 80 rats Wistar EPM-1 to nicotine and undernutrition was examined. The weight and histological alterations on the liver and lungs was evaluated on the rats and their offspring. A significantly lower weight gain, including liver and lung weight, was observed in nicotine exposed groups. There was no alteration of the placental weight. Decidual necrosis and hepatic congestion was frequent in the rats. Lung emphysema was found in the neonates.     

Hepatosplenic forms of schistosomiasis mansoni in the interior of Northeastern Brazil

Field studies on the morbidity of schistosomiasis mansoni were carried out in some rural endemic areas of Northeastern Brazil during the first semester of 1991. These cross-sectional studies were limited to the assessment of the gradient of clinical forms of the disease. The entire population present in a house-to-house survey was examined. Results have shown a reduction in the prevalence rates of the more severe form of schistosomiasis, the hepatosplenic form, when compared with previous similar studies made in the same areas during the 1960s and 1970s. Changes in prevalence rates of the severe clinical forms from the younger to the older age groups were observed.     

District allocation and utilization of health care services in Pau da Lima, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil

This cross-sectional study is aimed at the identification of patterns in the utilization of health care services in Pau da Lima, a neighborhood in the city of Salvador, Bahia. In 1992, a household survey was carried out with 384 families selected through a random cluster sampling design. In each household, the family head or a surrogate informant was asked to answer a questionnaire about their use of any type of health care in the last month. From the total of 1,887 individuals, 236 reported at least one visit to health facilities during the referent period This means an estimated prevalence of health services utilization of 12.5%. With regard to the type of services, 25.9% of all visits were made to public sector facilities. Attendants were mainly women (73.7%) from 15 to 29 years of age. The main reason reported for the choice of the health facility was availability (63.7%), and the major reason for seeking health care was disease-related conditions (75.7%), rather than preventive procedures. These findings may result from the still unfinished process of distritaliza??o(district allocation of services), which is evident in the lack of health services' infrastructure or coverage, as well as in persistent organizational problems. These issues may lead the population living in the respective district to seek health care outside the assigned catchment area. The authors discuss these findings in the context of the expansion of the private sector in the health area and the financial collapse of the public budget in Brazil.     

Is diabetic nephropathy inherited? Studies of glomerular structure in type 1 diabetic sibling pairs

Only a minority of patients with type 1 diabetes develop diabetic nephropathy (DN). Poor glycemic control cannot fully explain DN risk, and family studies suggest genetic susceptibility factors. To understand familial DN concordance, we evaluated glomerular structure in families with type 1 diabetic sibling pairs. Kidney function and biopsy studies were performed in 21 probands (P) (first to develop diabetes) and 21 siblings (S) (second to develop diabetes), most with normal urinary albumin excretion rates (UAER). Glomerular structure was measured by morphometry. Intrafamilial correlation was estimated by one-way random-effects ANOVA and by mixed-effects ANOVA, adjusting for age and duration of diabetes. Diabetes duration was, by definition, longer in P than in S, while age and sex were similar. HbA1c over 5 years and blood pressure were not different in P and S and were without familial effect. UAER was greater in P than in S (P < 0.05), with strong familial effect (P = 0.03). A strong concordance among siblings for mesangial fractional volume (P < or = 0.01) remained significant after adjustment for diabetes duration and age (P = 0.04). Results were similar for mesangial cell (P = 0.01; adjusted P = 0.04) and mesangial matrix fractional volumes (P < 0.01; adjusted P = 0.06). There was also clustering of the patterns of glomerular lesions. For example, if P had relatively marked glomerular basement membrane thickening compared with mesangial matrix expansion, S had a similar pattern (chi2, P < 0.025). Strong concordance in severity and patterns of glomerular lesions in type 1 diabetic siblings, despite lack of concordance in glycemia, supports an important role for genetic factors in DN risk.