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The scope of this paper is to analyze the articulation of the mental health services between the teams of the Family Health Strategy and Psychosocial Care Center by the matrixing process with emphasis on comprehensive care and case resolution. The subjects included 32 users and 22 family members attended in the matrixing in mental health, 46 health professionals from the Family Health Strategy and 15 from the Psychosocial Care Centers in two cities in the state of Ceara. It is a study of a qualitative nature based on critical hermeneutics. As dictated by the results, the integration of mental health services in Primary Healthcare establishes innovative approaches for shared psychosocial care between staff, family members and users. The matrixing activities in mental health ensure broadened access and diversification of healthcare to achieve comprehensive care. Case resolution is defined by the acknowledgement of the social conditions of demand by the teams and overcoming medication-based health practices.

This paper deals with mental health taken within the context of Brazilian Psychiatric Reform and profiling the transformations in the organization of work processes. This has occurred as a result of the advances with respect to the implementation of the services that replaced the classic psychiatric model and the reconfiguration of the scope of intervention and practices. From this standpoint, the paper seeks to pinpoint the contradictions and problems related to this process and its impact on the organization of work processes on the management of services and on worker health. Lastly, strategies are prepared for the purpose of tackling the problem, chief among which are the following: the redefinition of spaces, practices, and the relationships among the different actors, namely managers, workers, and users; the adoption of co-management mechanisms; and clinical-institutional supervision.

Objectives: To analyze the social participation taking place through Municipal Health Councils (MHC) in two small towns in northeastern Brazil., Methods: A qualitative, exploratory, multicase study focused on the MHCs of Lafayete Coutinho (state of Bahia) and Groaíras (state of Ceará) was conducted. Data were gathered from February-April 2005 through analysis of documents, direct observation of MHC meetings, and semistructured interviews. Documents analyzed included decrees, laws, and municipal regulations; city health department annual management reports; municipal health plans; and reports of municipal health conferences. MHC meeting minutes for the period between inception of these councils and 2004 were also reviewed. Interviews of 17 council members took place, eight of whom were from Lafayete Coutinho and nine from Groaíras., Results: Both councils had irregular practices regarding membership structure and nomination of members, such as frequent changes in appointed members and continuous "reshuffling" of council structure. In addition, new council members were appointed each time a new mayor took charge. Sporadic frequency of meetings was also observed. In Lafayete Coutinho, of 96 meetings planned, just 37 took place; in Groaíras, of 186 meetings planned, 93 took place. Analysis of MHC efforts to formulate and control municipal health policies revealed three themes: health status of the population and public policies; organization and functioning of health services; and financial management and accounting. The interviews showed that council members were dissatisfied with the practices of the MHCs and revealed a lack of confidence in how truly representative the councils are and how much power they have., Conclusions: Social participation strategies in Brazil must be reconsidered with an angle toward promoting political responsibility and raising awareness among citizens.

The study aims to characterize the process by which the territory managers of the Health Strategy of the Family-HSF ascended to the position and the limits and/or ease found by them in their work process. The research is of a predominantly Qualitative approach, accomplished in Sobral-Ceará, with 28 territory managers of the HSF, in the period of November of 2006 to June of 2007. The process that took the managers to the position, does not take into consideration a profile of competences, occurring in a handmade administrative way. The main ease in the managers' process work mainly happens, due to the good relationship with the team and its commitment. Yet the difficulties refer the conciliation of the nurse activities and management and lack of training for management.

The study aimed at elaborating the socio-demographic and educational profile of managers of territory of the Family Health Strategy and to identify the qualification types or process of permanent education that the managers have or to the ones that are inserted, the cultural- scientific development of them. The investigation is of exploratory-descriptive type, carried out in Sobral - Ceará, with 28 managers of territory of the Strategy of Health of the Family in the period of November of 2006 to June of 2007. For the collection of data it was used a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. The socio-demographic profile of the managers shows that 57.2% are in the age group from 25 to 34 years; 92.9% are of the feminine sex; 78.6% are married; 57.2% have a monthly wage in the ESF of R$1,800.00 to 2,000.00, 100% are male nurses; 71.4% possess specialization in the modality of Multi-Professional Residence in Health of the Family; 57.1% present qualification necessity in administration in health and human people's administration. It is suggested that the Municipal and Social Action Secretary of Health will be able to establish the attributions and to evaluate the profile of the managers during the nomination, and to confront them with the profile that the system demands.

Winter birth has been shown to increase the risk of schizophrenia in adult life. It has been hypothesized that this effect is due to seasonal variation in infectious diseases, including influenza, as exposure to influenza during mid gestation also increases the risk of schizophrenia. However, in many areas there is little variation in temperature during the year, although rainfall may vary greatly. We tested the hypothesis that, in a tropical region with wet and dry seasons, schizophrenia births would be related to rainfall. The data came from the city of Mossoro in north-eastern Brazil. In this area there is no meaningful variation in temperature, but there is a rainy season with little precipitation during the rest of the year. In this region, the prevalence of influenza parallels that of rainfall. There was a significant relationship between rainfall and the number of schizophrenia births three months later. In contrast, there was no significant relationship between rainfall and general population births three months later. The relationship of birth to rainfall, rather than winter birth, may be associated with risk of schizophrenia in tropical regions; exposure to influenza during gestation may be the basis for such a relationship.