scholarly journals Twenty years of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in Brazil: a review of epidemiological and clinical aspects

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (02) ◽  
pp. 137-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vitor Laerte Pinto Junior ◽  
Amani Moura Hamidad ◽  
Dalcy de Oliveira Albuquerque Filho ◽  
Vitorino Modesto Dos Santos
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Case Fatality ◽  
Febrile Illness ◽  
Human Action ◽  
Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome ◽  
Clinical Aspects ◽  
Hantavirus Infection ◽  
Wild Rodents ◽  
Prodromal Phase ◽  
The Impact

Hantavirus infection is transmitted to humans by wild rodents and the most common clinical form in Brazil is the Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS). The first serological evidence of the disease was identified in 1990, in Recife, Pernambuco State, and later in 1993 in Juquitiba, State of São Paulo. Since then there has been a progressive increase in case notification in all regions of the country. The clinical aspects of the disease in Brazil are characterized by a prodromal phase, with nonspecific signs and symptoms of an acute febrile illness. After about three days, respiratory distress develops, accompanied by dry cough that turns progressively productive, evolving to dyspnea and respiratory failure with cardiogenic shock. Although the majority of patients receive hospital care in intensive care therapy units, case-fatality rate in Brazil ranges from 33% to 100% depending on the region. Besides it has to be added the problem of differential diagnosis with other prevalent diseases in the country, like dengue and leptospirosis. Questions about the impact of uncontrolled urbanization and other environmental changes caused by human action have been raised. Due to increasing incidence and high case-fatality, there is an urge to respond to such questions to recommend preventative measures. This article aims to review the main acquisitions in clinical and epidemiological knowledge about HPS in Brazil in the last twenty years.

Species distribution modeling reveals the ecological niche of extinct megafauna from South America

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Thaísa Araújo ◽  
Helena Machado ◽  
Dimila Mothé ◽  
Leonardo dos Santos Avilla
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Species Distribution ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Species Distribution Modeling ◽  
Human Action ◽  
Northeastern Brazil ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Middle Holocene ◽  
Distribution Modeling ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Climatic and environmental changes, as well as human action, have been cited as potential causes for the extinction of megafauna in South America at the end of the Pleistocene. Among megamammals lineages with Holarctic origin, only horses and proboscideans went extinct in South America during this period. This study aims to understand how the spatial extent of habitats suitable for Equus neogeus and Notiomastodon platensis changed between the last glacial maximum (LGM) and the middle Holocene in order to determine the impact that climatic and environmental changes had on these taxa. We used species distribution modeling to estimate their potential extent on the continent and found that both species occupied arid and semiarid open lands during the LGM, mainly in the Pampean region of Argentina, southern and northeastern Brazil, and parts of the Andes. However, when climate conditions changed from dry and cold during the LGM to humid and warm during the middle Holocene, the areas suitable for these taxa were reduced dramatically. These results support the hypothesis that climatic changes were a driving cause of extinction of these megamammals in South America, although we cannot rule out the impact of human actions or other potential causes for their extinction.

scholarly journals HANTAVIRUS PULMONARY SYNDROME (HPS) IN GUARIBA, SP, BRAZIL: REPORT OF 2 CASES

1999 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 131-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luiz Tadeu M. FIGUEIREDO ◽  
Marcos L. MORELI ◽  
Vanessa S.O. ALMEIDA ◽  
Paulo R. FÉLIX ◽  
Júlio C. BRUNO ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Presentation ◽  
Febrile Illness ◽  
Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome ◽  
Hantavirus Infection ◽  
Rt Pcr ◽  
Interstitial Edema ◽  
Viral Etiology ◽  
Mononuclear Cell Infiltrates ◽  
Human Infections ◽  
The City

Human infections caused by a hantavirus were reported in different regions of the State of São Paulo (SP), Brazil during the first six months of 1998. Two cases of fatal pulmonary syndrome occurred in May of 1998 in the City of Guariba, located in the Northeastern Region of SP. Both patients worked in a corn storage barn infested by rodents. These patients, after 2 or 3 days of non-specific febrile illness, developed a severe interstitial pneumonia spreading widely in both lungs, causing respiratory failure and death. At autopsy both patients showed lung interstitial edema with immunoblast-like mononuclear cell infiltrates, consistent with a viral etiology. Hantavirus infection was diagnosed by ELISA in both cases and by RT-PCR in one of the patients. Aspects of the clinical presentation, physiopathology and differential diagnosis of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome are discussed.

scholarly journals Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in Brazil: clinical aspects of three new cases

2000 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcelo S. FERREIRA ◽  
Sérgio de A. NISHIOKA ◽  
Thogo L. SANTOS ◽  
Rubens P. SANTOS ◽  
Paulo S. SANTOS ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Failure ◽  
Interstitial Pneumonia ◽  
Mononuclear Cells ◽  
Histopathological Examination ◽  
Febrile Illness ◽  
The United States ◽  
Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome ◽  
Clinical Aspects ◽  
Sin Nombre Virus ◽  
Laboratory Findings

Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) has been recognized recently in Brazil, where 28 cases have been reported as of September 1999. We report here the clinical and laboratory findings of three cases whose diagnoses were confirmed serologically. All the patients were adults who presented a febrile illness with respiratory symptoms that progressed to respiratory failure that required artificial ventilation in two of them. Laboratory findings were most of the time consistent with those reported in the United States in patients infected with the Sin Nombre virus, and included elevated hematocrit and thrombocytopenia; presence of atypical lymphocytes was observed in one patient. The chest radiological findings observed in all the patients were bilateral, diffuse, reticulonodular infiltrates. Two patients died. Histopathological examination of the lungs of these patients revealed interstitial and alveolar edema, alveolar hemorrhage, and mild interstitial pneumonia characterized by infiltrate of immunoblasts and mononuclear cells. In the epidemiologic investigation of one of the cases, serologic (ELISA) tests were positive in 3 (25%) out of 12 individuals who shared the same environmental exposure. HPS should be included in the differential diagnosis of interstitial pneumonia progressing to acute respiratory failure.

scholarly journals Hantavirus Cardiopulmonary Syndrome and Diffuse Alveolar Hemorrhage in the Era of COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Khizar Hamid ◽  
Swaminathan Perinkulam Sathyanarayanan ◽  
Touba Naim ◽  
Muhammad Hamza ◽  
Mirza Omer Mahmood Baig ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cardiogenic Shock ◽  
Q Fever ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Case Fatality ◽  
Early Mobilization ◽  
The United States ◽  
Diffuse Alveolar Hemorrhage ◽  
Alveolar Hemorrhage ◽  
Hantavirus Infection ◽  
Prodromal Phase

Hantavirus Cardiopulmonary Syndrome (HCPS) can occur after infection with Hantavirus which can occur by inhaling aerosolized rodent urine, feces, and saliva contaminated with the virus. It presents with the rapid development of pulmonary edema, respiratory failure, and cardiogenic shock with the hallmark being microvascular leakage. We report a patient with a history of alcohol abuse and recent exposure to mice and sick kittens who presented with cough with sputum production, shortness of breath, orthopnea, and new-onset lower extremity edema. Imaging revealed bilateral infiltrates more common on the left with an unremarkable echocardiogram. Testing for COVID-19, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), influenza, bacterial pneumonia including tuberculosis and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), aspergillosis, histoplasmosis, Blastomyces, and Coccidiodes was negative. Bronchoscopy and bronchoalveolar lavage revealed diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH) and were negative for acid-fast bacilli and Nocardia cultures. He was further tested for Hantavirus, Q fever, leptospirosis, toxoplasmosis, and empiric treatment with doxycycline initiated. His Hantavirus IgM antibody came back positive. Human Hantavirus infection occurs after inhalation of infected rodent excreta; fortunately, human-to-human transmission has not been documented. HCPS most commonly occurs due to the Sin Nombre virus (SNV), has a case fatality rate of 50%, and is a notifiable disease in the United States. It has 3 distinct phases, prodromal, cardiopulmonary, and convalescent/recovery. The cardiopulmonary phase occurs from increased permeability of pulmonary capillaries and in severe cases can progress to cardiogenic shock. Diagnosis is based on the presence of IgM and IgG Hantavirus antibodies. Treatment is mainly supportive; however, patients are usually treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics while workup is underway. In animal models, ribavirin and favipiravir are only effective when administered in the prodromal phase. If suspicion of Hantavirus infection exists, early mobilization to the intensive care unit for treatment is recommended. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has been suggested to improve outcomes in severe HCPS with refractory shock.

Designing a CRM Framework for online & offline sports footwear retailers

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodrigo Cueva ◽  
Guillem Rufian ◽  
Maria Gabriela Valdes
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Customer Relationship ◽  
Business Strategies ◽  
Economic Sectors ◽  
Running Shoes ◽  
Brick And Mortar ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
On Line ◽  
The Impact

The use of Customer Relationship Managers to foster customers loyalty has become one of the most common business strategies in the past years.  However, CRM solutions do not fill the abundance of happily ever-after relationships that business needs, and each client’s perception is different in the buying process.  Therefore, the experience must be precise, in order to extend the loyalty period of a customer as much as possible. One of the economic sectors in which CRM’s have improved this experience is retailing, where the personalized attention to the customer is a key factor.  However, brick and mortar experiences are not enough to be aware in how environmental changes could affect the industry trends in the long term.  A base unified theoretical framework must be taken into consideration, in order to develop an adaptable model for constructing or implementing CRMs into companies. Thanks to this approximation, the information is complemented, and the outcome will increment the quality in any Marketing/Sales initiative. The goal of this article is to explore the different factors grouped by three main domains within the impact of service quality, from a consumer’s perspective, in both on-line and off-line retailing sector.  Secondly, we plan to go a step further and extract base guidelines about previous analysis for designing CRM’s solutions focused on the loyalty of the customers for a specific retailing sector and its product: Sports Running Shoes.

Impact of hydroxychloroquin/azithromycin protocol on COVID-19 case-fatality rate reduction in Algeria. (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Youssef Kada
Keyword(s):  
Case Fatality Rate ◽  
Doubling Time ◽  
Case Fatality ◽  
World Health ◽  
Fatality Rate ◽  
Therapeutic Protocol ◽  
First Case ◽  
The World ◽  
The Impact ◽  
At Home

BACKGROUND Covid-19 is an emerging infectious disease like viral zoonosis caused by new coronavirus SARS CoV 2. On December 31, 2019, Wuhan Municipal Health Commission in Hubei province (China) reported cases of pneumonia, the origin of which is a new coronavirus. Rapidly extendable around the world, the World Health Organization (WHO) declares it pandemic on March 11, 2020. This pandemic reaches Algeria on February 25, 2020, date on which the Algerian minister of health, announced the first case of Covid-19, a foreign citizen. From March 1, a cluster is formed in Blida and becomes the epicentre of the coronavirus epidemic in Algeria, its total quarantine is established on March 24, 2020, it will be smoothly alleviated on April 24. A therapeutic protocol based on hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin was put in place on March 23, for complicated cases, it was extended to all the cases confirmed on April 06. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to demonstrate the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquin/azithromycin protocol in Algeria, in particular after its extension to all patients diagnosed COVID-19 positive on RT-PCR test. We were able to illustrate this fact graphically, but not to prove it statistically because the design of our study, indeed in the 7 days which followed generalization of therapeutic protocol, case fatality rate decrease and doubling time increase, thus confirming the impact of wide and early prescription of hydroxychloroquin/azithromycin protocol. METHODS We have analyzed the data collected from press releases and follow-ups published daily by the Ministry of Health, we have studied the possible correlations of these data with certain events or decisions having a possible impact on their development, such as confinement at home and its reduction, the prescription of hydroxychloroquine/azithromycin combination for serious patients and its extension to all positive COVID subjects. Results are presented in graphics, the data collection was closed on 31/05/2020. RESULTS Covid-19 pandemic spreads from February 25, 2020, when a foreign citizen is tested positive, on March 1 a cluster is formed in the city of Blida where sixteen members of the same family are infected during a wedding party. Wilaya of Blida becomes the epicentre of coronavirus epidemic in Algeria and lockdown measures taken, while the number of national cases diagnosed begins to increases In any event, the association of early containment measures combined with a generalized initial treatment for all positive cases, whatever their degree of severity, will have contributed to a reduction in the fatality rate of COVID 19 and a slowing down of its doubling time. CONCLUSIONS In Algeria, the rapid combination of rigorous containment measure at home and early generalized treatment with hydroxychloroquin have demonstrated their effectiveness in terms of morbidity and mortality, the classic measures of social distancing and hygiene will make it possible to perpetuate these results by reducing viral transmission, the only unknown, the reopening procedure which can only be started after being surrounded by precautions aimed at ensuring the understanding of the population. CLINICALTRIAL Algeria, Covid-19, pandemic, hydroxychloroquin, azithromycin, case fatality rate

scholarly journals Quit Experiences among Primary Care Patients Enrolled in a Smoking Cessation Pilot RCT Early in the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 1011
Author(s):  
Andrea A. Joyce ◽  
Grace M. Styklunas ◽  
Nancy A. Rigotti ◽  
Jordan M. Neil ◽  
Elyse R. Park ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Text Messaging ◽  
Risk Perceptions ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Text Messages ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Primary Care Patients ◽  
The Impact ◽  
At Home

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on US adults’ smoking and quitting behaviors is unclear. We explored the impact of COVID-19 on smoking behaviors, risk perceptions, and reactions to text messages during a statewide stay-at-home advisory among primary care patients who were trying to quit. From May–June 2020, we interviewed smokers enrolled in a 12-week, pilot cessation trial providing text messaging and mailed nicotine replacement medication (NCT04020718). Twenty-two individuals (82% white, mean age 55 years), representing 88% of trial participants during the stay-at-home advisory, completed exit interviews; four (18%) of them reported abstinence. Interviews were thematically analyzed by two coders. COVID-19-induced environmental changes had mixed effects, facilitating quitting for some and impeding quitting for others. While stress increased for many, those who quit found ways to cope with stress. Generally, participants felt at risk for COVID-19 complications but not at increased risk of becoming infected. Reactions to COVID-19 and quitting behaviors differed across age groups, older participants reported difficulties coping with isolation (e.g., feeling disappointed when a text message came from the study and not a live person). Findings suggest that cessation interventions addressing stress and boredom are needed during COVID-19, while smokers experiencing isolation may benefit from live-person supports.

scholarly journals The intensity of slope and fluvial processes after a catastrophic windthrow event in small catchments in the Tatra Mountains

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 1405-1423
Author(s):  
Dariusz Strzyżowski ◽  
Elżbieta Gorczyca ◽  
Kazimierz Krzemień ◽  
Mirosław Żelazny
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Bedload Transport ◽  
Strong Wind ◽  
Tatra Mountains ◽  
Salvage Logging ◽  
Fluvial Processes ◽  
Wind Events ◽  
And Control ◽  
The Tatra Mountains ◽  
The Impact

AbstractStrong wind events frequently result in creating large areas of windthrow, which causes abrupt environmental changes. Bare soil surfaces within pits and root plates potentially expose soil to erosion. Absence of forest may alter the dynamics of water circulation. In this study we attempt to answer the question of whether extensive windthrows influence the magnitude of geomorphic processes in 6 small second- to third-order catchments with area ranging from 0.09 km2 to 0.8 km2. Three of the catchments were significantly affected by a windthrow which occurred in December 2013 in the Polish part of the Tatra Mountains, and the other three catchments were mostly forested and served as control catchments. We mapped the pits created by the windthrow and the linear scars created by salvage logging operations in search of any signs of erosion within them. We also mapped all post-windthrow landslides created in the windthrow-affected catchments. The impact of the windthrow on the fluvial system was investigated by measuring a set of channel characteristics and determining bedload transport intensity using painted tracers in all the windthrow-affected and control catchments. Both pits and linear scars created by harvesting tend to become overgrown by vegetation in the first several years after the windthrow. The only signs of erosion were observed in 10% of the pits located on convergent slopes. During the period from the windthrow event in 2013 until 2019, 5 very small (total area <100 m2) shallow landslides were created. The mean distance of bedload transport was similar (t-test, p=0.05) in most of the windthrow-affected and control catchments. The mapping of channels revealed many cases of root plates fallen into a channel and pits created near a channel. A significant amount of woody debris delivered into the channels influenced the activity of fluvial processes by creating alternating zones of erosion and accumulation.

scholarly journals Environmental Changes and Cultural Transitions in SW Iberia during the Early-Mid Holocene

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 3580
Author(s):  
Cristina Val-Peón ◽  
Juan I. Santisteban ◽  
José A. López-Sáez ◽  
Gerd-Christian Weniger ◽  
Klaus Reicherter
Keyword(s):  
Dietary Habits ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Source Area ◽  
Direct Access ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Early Neolithic ◽  
Archaeological Data ◽  
Local Resources ◽  
Climate Events ◽  
The Impact

The SW coast of the Iberian Peninsula experiences a lack of palaeoenvironmental and archaeological data. With the aim to fill this gap, we contribute with a new palynological and geochemical dataset obtained from a sediment core drilled in the continental shelf of the Algarve coast. Archaeological data have been correlated with our multi-proxy dataset to understand how human groups adapted to environmental changes during the Early-Mid Holocene, with special focus on the Mesolithic to Neolithic transition. Vegetation trends indicate warm conditions at the onset of the Holocene followed by increased moisture and forest development ca. 10–7 ka BP, after which woodlands are progressively replaced by heaths. Peaks of aridity were identified at 8.2 and 7. 5 ka BP. Compositional, textural, redox state, and weathering of source area geochemical proxies indicates abrupt palaeoceanographic modifications and gradual terrestrial changes at 8.2 ka BP, while the 7.5 ka BP event mirrors a decrease in land moisture availability. Mesolithic sites are mainly composed of seasonal camps with direct access to the coast for the exploitation of local resources. This pattern extends into the Early Neolithic, when these sites coexist with seasonal and permanent occupations located in inland areas near rivers. Changes in settlement patterns and dietary habits may be influenced by changes in coastal environments caused by the sea-level rise and the impact of the 8.2 and 7.5 ka BP climate events.

scholarly journals Social Evaluation of Public Open Space Services and Their Impact on Well-Being: A Micro-Scale Assessment from a Coastal University

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 4372
Author(s):  
Abdullah Addas ◽  
Ahmad Maghrabi
Keyword(s):  
Open Space ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Evaluation ◽  
Open Spaces ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Public Open Space ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Public Open Spaces

Public open spaces services have been shown to be profoundly affected by rapid urbanization and environmental changes, and in turn, they have influenced socio-cultural relationships and human well-being. However, the impact of these changes on public open space services (POSS) remains unexplored, particularly in the Saudi Arabian context. This study examines the socio-cultural influence of POSS on the King Abdulaziz University campus, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and the impact of these services on well-being. A field survey and questionnaire were used to collect data. Non-parametric tests (Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney tests) were used to find significant differences in the importance of POSS as perceived by stakeholders based on socio-demographic attributes. Factor analysis was performed for 14 POSS to identify those that are most important. The study showed that (i) university stakeholders are closely linked to services provided by public open spaces (POS) and dependent on POSS, (ii) there were significant differences in the perceived importance of POSS according to gender, age, and social groups, and (iii) 70 to 90% of stakeholders reported POSS as having a positive impact on well-being. Thus, the findings will help design and plan POSS to meet the needs of society and promote well-being.

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