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Submitted by Maria Creuza Silva (mariakreuza@yahoo.com.br) on 2011-10-05T14:51:37Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Per int 2011.17.pdf: 148001 bytes, checksum: c7eafa2723f63977131156f4dbefacb5 (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2011-10-05T14:51:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Per int 2011.17.pdf: 148001 bytes, checksum: c7eafa2723f63977131156f4dbefacb5 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 Background Studies conducted in transitional communities from Africa and Asia have pointed to the process of urbanisation as being responsible for the increase in asthma prevalence in developing regions. In Latin America, there are few published data available on the potential impact of urbanisation on asthma prevalence. The aim of the present study was to explore how the process of urbanisation may explain differences in asthma prevalence in transitional communities in north-eastern Ecuador. Methodology/principal findings An ecological study was conducted in 59 communities in Esmeraldas Province, Ecuador. Indicators of urbanisation were grouped into three indices representing the processes associated with urbanisation: socioeconomic, lifestyle and urban infrastructure. Categorical principal components analysis was used to generate scores for each index and a fourth indexda summary urbanisation indexdwas derived from the most representative variables in each of the three indices. The authors analysed the associations between community asthma prevalence and the indices, as well as with each indicator variable of every group. The overall prevalence of asthma was 10.1% (range 0e31.4% between communities). Three of the four indices presented significant associations with community asthma prevalence: socioeconomic (r¼0.295,p¼0.023), lifestyle (r¼0.342, p¼0.008) and summary urbanisation index (r¼0.355, p¼0.006). Variables reflecting better socioeconomic status and a more urban lifestyle were associated with greater asthma prevalence. Conclusions These data provide evidence that the prevalence of asthma increases with increasing levels of urbanisation in transitional communities, and factors associated with greater socioeconomic level and changes towards a more urban lifestyle may be particularly important.

En el medio en que vivimos surgen nuevas formas de mejora continua, es por ello que para estar a la vanguardia se necesita de una toma de decisiones eficientes, de información oportuna y verídica que permita proporcionar mecanismos para lograr sinergia en el mundo empresarial. La presente tesis nos permitió aplicar los conocimientos adquiridos a lo largo de nuestra formación académica universitaria, y lo demostramos al analizar, verificar y evaluar los estados financieros de la Unión de Cooperativas de Transportes en Taxis del Azuay. Consideramos que el realizar la auditoría financiera proporcionará a la asamblea general y sus socios pautas para conocer sus fortalezas y debilidades.

Texto completo: acesso restrito. p.1669–1677 Submitted by Suelen Reis (suziy.ellen@gmail.com) on 2013-07-10T16:08:41Z No. of bitstreams: 1 j.1365-2222.2010.03559.x.pdf: 154911 bytes, checksum: 7d6edc105dabae3c03451053d655aa2c (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2013-07-10T16:08:42Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 j.1365-2222.2010.03559.x.pdf: 154911 bytes, checksum: 7d6edc105dabae3c03451053d655aa2c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010 Background The low prevalence of allergic disease in the rural tropics has been attributed to the protective effects of chronic helminth infections. There is concern that treatment-based control programmes for these parasites may lead to an increase in the prevalence of allergic diseases. Objective We measured the impact of 15–17 years of anthelmintic treatment with ivermectin on the prevalence of allergen skin test reactivity and allergic symptoms in school-age children. Methods The prevalence of allergen skin test reactivity, exercise-induced bronchospasm and allergic symptoms was compared between school-age children living in communities that had received community-based treatments with ivermectin (for onchocerciasis control) for a period of 15–17 years with those living in geographically adjacent communities that had received no ivermectin. Results The prevalence of allergen skin test reactivity was double in children living in treated communities compared with those in untreated communities (16.7% vs. 8.7%, adjusted OR 2.10, 95% CI 1.50–2.94, P

Texto completo: acesso restrito. p.409-416 Submitted by Suelen Reis (suziy.ellen@gmail.com) on 2013-08-29T15:18:42Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Thorax-2010-Moncayo-409-16.pdf: 142707 bytes, checksum: 0d50fdd9c4d40b531d3ad022032bc437 (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2013-08-29T15:18:42Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Thorax-2010-Moncayo-409-16.pdf: 142707 bytes, checksum: 0d50fdd9c4d40b531d3ad022032bc437 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010 Background Asthma has emerged as an important public health problem of urban populations in Latin America. Epidemiological data suggest that a minority of asthma cases in Latin America may be associated with allergic sensitisation and that other mechanisms causing asthma have been overlooked. The aim of the present study was to investigate risk factors for atopic and non-atopic asthma in school-age children. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 3960 children aged 6–16 years living in Afro-Ecuadorian rural communities in Esmeraldas province in Ecuador. Allergic diseases and risk factors were assessed by questionnaire and allergic sensitisation by allergen skin prick reactivity. Results A total of 390 (10.5%) children had wheeze within the previous 12 months, of whom 14.4% had at least one positive skin test. The population-attributable fraction for recent wheeze associated with atopy was 2.4%. Heavy Trichuris trichiura infections were strongly inversely associated with atopic wheeze. Non-atopic wheeze was positively associated with maternal allergic symptoms and sedentarism (watching television (>3 h/day)) but inversely associated with age and birth order. Conclusions The present study showed a predominance of non-atopic compared with atopic wheeze among schoolchildren living in a poor rural region of tropical Latin America. Distinct risk factors were associated with the two wheeze phenotypes and may indicate different causal mechanisms. Future preventive strategies in such populations may need to be targeted at the causes of non-atopic wheeze.

p. 1-9 Submitted by JURANDI DE SOUZA SILVA (jssufba@hotmail.com) on 2012-06-04T20:11:53Z No. of bitstreams: 1 journal.pntd.0000293-1.pdf: 175772 bytes, checksum: 010d100a4fcc236ec4ba8c2d29443105 (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2012-06-04T20:11:53Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 journal.pntd.0000293-1.pdf: 175772 bytes, checksum: 010d100a4fcc236ec4ba8c2d29443105 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008 Background: Control of soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections relies on the periodic and long-term administration of anthelmintic drugs to high-risk groups, particularly school-age children living in endemic areas. There is limited data on the effectiveness of long-term periodic anthelmintic treatment on the prevalence of STHs, particularly from operational programmes. The current study investigated the impact of 15 to 17 years of treatment with the broad-spectrum anthelmintic ivermectin, used for the control of onchocerciasis, on STH prevalence and intensity in school-age and preschool children. Methods and Findings: A cross-sectional study was conducted in communities that had received annual or twice-annual ivermectin treatments and geographically adjacent communities that had not received treatment in two districts of Esmeraldas Province in Ecuador. Stool samples were collected from school-age children and examined for STH infection using the Kato-Katz and formol-ether concentration methods. Samples were collected also from pre-school children and examined by the formol-ether concentration method. Data on risk factors for STH infection were collected by parental questionnaire. We sampled a total of 3,705 school-age children (6–16 years) from 31 treated and 27 non-treated communities, and 1,701 pre-school children aged 0–5 years from 18 treated and 18 non-treated communities. Among school-age children, ivermectin treatment had significant effects on the prevalence (adjusted OR = 0.06, 95% CI 0.03–0.14) and intensity of Trichuris trichiura infection (adjusted RR = 0.28, 95% CI 0.11–0.70), but appeared to have no impact on Ascaris lumbricoides or hookworm infection. Reduced prevalence and intensities of T. trichiura infection were observed among children not eligible to receive ivermectina, providing some evidence of reduced transmission of T. trichiura infection in communities receiving mass ivermectin treatments. Conclusion: Annual and twice-annual treatments with ivermectin over a period of up to 17 years may have had a significant impact on T. trichiura infection. The present data indicate that the long-term control of onchocerciasis with ivermectin may provide additional health benefits by reducing infections with trichuriasis. The addition of a second anthelmintic drug such as albendazole may be useful for a long-term effect on A. lumbricoides infection.