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Particulate organic carbon (POC) export fluxes generally reflect patterns of primary production in the upper ocean, sinking to the seabed and acting as a food source for benthic organisms. Data on meiobenthic communities from two SYSTem COupling cruises (SYSTCO) in the deep Southern Ocean (RV Polarstern ANT-XXIV/2, north–south transect along the prime meridian, and ANT-XXVIII/3, east–west transect along the Polar Front) were combined with surface and benthic environmental parameters, as well as POC flux estimates based on satellite measurements. It was tested to what extent meiofaunal communities were determined by prevailing conditions of an east–west increase in net primary productivity (NPP) and bottom Chlorophyll a (Chla) concentration, and a westwards, divergently decreasing estimated POC flux. Nematodes dominated the meiofauna (84.4–92.4%) and occurred with a westward increase in relative abundance and density for the ANT-XXVIII/3 stations, associated with a parallel increase in NPP and Chla. Nematode biomass was negatively correlated to the estimated POC flux. Along the north–south transect no significant correlation was found but higher estimated POC fluxes at stations south of the Polar Front were associated with higher meiofauna diversity and density at higher taxon level, while stations located at the Polar Front, which were associated with lower POC fluxes, contained communities with lower diversity and density.

This study was supported by federal funds from the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq; grants 303539/2004?6 and 303475/2005?6), Oswaldo Cruz Institute? FIOCRUZ. Ministry of Health. Secretariat of Health Surveillance. Field Epidemiology Training Program. Bras?lia, DF, Brazil. Ministry of Health. Secretariat of Health Surveillance. Field Epidemiology Training Program. Bras?lia, DF, Brazil. Ministry of Health. Secretariat of Health Surveillance. Field Epidemiology Training Program. Bras?lia, DF, Brazil. Ministry of Health. Secretariat of Health Surveillance. Field Epidemiology Training Program. Bras?lia, DF, Brazil. Ministry of Health. Secretariat of Health Surveillance. Field Epidemiology Training Program. Bras?lia, DF, Brazil / Ministry of Health. Secretariat of Health Surveillance. Waterborne and Foodborne Infectious Diseases Coordination. Bras?lia, DF, Brazil. Ministry of Health. Secretariat of Health Surveillance. Field Epidemiology Training Program. Bras?lia, DF, Brazil / Ministry of Health. Secretariat of Health Surveillance. Waterborne and Foodborne Infectious Diseases Coordination. Bras?lia, DF, Brazil. Ministry of Health. Secretariat of Health Surveillance. Field Epidemiology Training Program. Bras?lia, DF, Brazil. Ministry of Health. Secretariat of Health Surveillance. Waterborne and Foodborne Infectious Diseases Coordination. Bras?lia, DF, Brazil. Acre State Secretariat of Health. Department of Epidemiological Surveillance. Rio Branco, AC, Brazil. Acre State Secretariat of Health. Department of Epidemiological Surveillance. Rio Branco, AC, Brazil. Ministry of Health. Oswaldo Cruz Foundation. Oswaldo Cruz Institute. Laboratory of Comparative Virology. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. Ministry of Health. Oswaldo Cruz Foundation. Oswaldo Cruz Institute. Laboratory of Comparative Virology. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. Minist?rio da Sa?de. Secretaria de Vigil?ncia em Sa?de. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Ananindeua, PA, Brasil. Ministry of Health. Secretariat of Health Surveillance. Public Health Laboratory Network. Bras?lia, DF, Brazil. Minist?rio da Sa?de. Secretaria de Vigil?ncia em Sa?de. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Ananindeua, PA, Brasil. Ministry of Health. Oswaldo Cruz Foundation. Oswaldo Cruz Institute. Laboratory of Comparative Virology. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. Ministry of Health. Secretariat of Health Surveillance. Field Epidemiology Training Program. Bras?lia, DF, Brazil / Ministry of Health. Oswaldo Cruz Foundation. Gon?alo Moniz Institute. Salvador, BA, Brazil. Ministry of Health. Secretariat of Health Surveillance. Field Epidemiology Training Program. Bras?lia, DF, Brazil / Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Coordinating Office for Global Health. Division of Global Public Health Capacity Development. Atlanta, Georgia, USA. An epidemic of acute gastroenteritis occurred in Rio Branco City, Acre State, in Brazil's Amazon region in 2005. An investigation was conducted to confirm the etiology and identify possible risk factors for death. Methods: Rio Branco municipality surveillance data for the period May to October 2005 were reviewed. In a case?control study, children who died following acute gastroenteritis were compared to age-matched controls with acute gastroenteritis who survived. Rotavirus A (RV-A) was investigated in 799 stool samples and genotyped by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results: The cumulative incidence of diarrhea in children aged 5 years was 21 percent. A fatal outcome was significantly associated with uncovered household water storage containers. RV-A was identified in 88 percent of samples and G9 was the prevalent genotype (71 percent). Conclusions: Oral rehydration solution and boiling or chlorinating drinking water likely limited mortality. This epidemic was caused by RV-A genotype G9. After the outbreak, a rotavirus vaccine was introduced into the official childhood immunization schedule in Brazil.

Congonha, congonha-de-bugre e bugre são nomes populares atribuídos a várias espécies medicinais, incluindo Rudgea viburnoides (Cham.) Benth. (Rubiaceae), cujas folhas são utilizadas na medicina popular como diuréticas, hipotensoras, antireumáticas e depurativas do sangue. Esta espécie vem sendo comercializada como porangaba e utilizada em regimes de emagrecimento, substituindo Cordia ecalyculata Vell. (Boraginaceae). Neste estudo, foram determinadas as características botânicas, fisico-químicas e químicas para R. viburnoides com o objetivo de auxiliar sua identificação taxonômica e o controle de qualidade de produtos preparados com esta planta. Uma amostra referência foi coletada e submetida à caracterização macroscópica, microscópica e organoléptica, determinação de cinzas totais e umidade, prospecção fitoquímica e determinação dos perfis cromatográficos em CCD. Amostras de R. viburnoides podem ser reconhecidas pela epiderme pilosa com marcantes estrias cuticulares, estômatos paracíticos, presença de idioblastos com ráfides no mesofilo e pela configuração em arco dos tecidos vasculares da nervura de primeira ordem, caracteres ausentes em C. ecalyculata. A presença de cistólitos e canais mucilaginosos na medula diferem prontamente C. ecalyculata de R. viburnoides. A análise por CCD evidenciou a presença de flavonóides e saponinas. Amostras adquiridas no comércio e submetidas aos mesmos ensaios permitiram validar os métodos propostos e confirmaram a ampla comercialização de R. viburnoides em Minas Gerais. Congonha, congonha-de-bugre and bugre are popular names for several medicinal plant species, including Rudgea viburnoides (Cham.) Benth. (Rubiaceae), whose leaves are widely used in popular medicine as diuretic, hypotensive, antirheumatic, and blood depurative. This species has been commercialized as porangaba, and used for diet purposes in substitution of Cordia ecalyculata Vell. (Boraginaceae). This study determines botanical, physico-chemical and chemical characteristics of R. viburnoides with the objective of providing tools for its taxonomical identification and the quality control of derived products. A reference sample was collected and submitted to macroscopical, microscopical and organoleptical characterization, total ash and water content, phytochemical screening, and TLC profile determination. Samples of Rudgea viburnoides can be easily distinguished from those of Cordia ecalyculata by the pilose epidermis with paracytic stomata, outstanding cuticularized striation, the presence of cristalliferous idioblasts, and by the arc pattern of the midvein vascular tissues. Furthermore, C. ecalyculata presents cystoliths and medullary mucilaginous channels differing from R. viburnoides. TLC analysis demostrated the presence of flavonoids and saponins. Commercially acquired samples submitted to the same assays have therefore validated the proposed methods, and confirmed the wide commercialization of R. viburnoides in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil.