Abstract: Partindo de um historico das pesquisas participativas nos seus diferentes momentos de constituicao e propostas relativas as mudancas na producao de conhecimento, este trabalho tem como perspectiva apresentar e discutir os pressupostos teorico-metodologicos da pesquisa-intervencao. A pesquisa-intervencao vem constituindo-se em um dispositivo de transformacao vinculado tanto a formacao academica dos psicologos, quanto as praticas nas instituicoes, possibilitando novas analises construidas entre a macro e a micropolitica.

Abstract: Esboca um esforco de compreensao abrangente, de modo a situar os caminhos percorridos nos ultimos dez anos pelas iniciativas focalizadas nos segmentos juvenis da sociedade brasileira. Com base em uma concepcao democratica de realizacao das politicas publicas e de uma clara defesa dos jovens como sujeitos de direitos, inicia uma analise das politicas para a juventude. Para tanto, a partir de algumas consideracoes teoricas sobre o tema juventude, particularmente sobre sua abrangencia, examina as acoes federais propostas no periodo de 1995/2002 e traca alguns dos caminhos percorridos no âmbito dos municipios em direcao a constituicao dessas politicas.

Abstract: Naphthoquinones have been extensively studied due to their activity as topoisomerase inhibitors. These enzymes are critical to DNA replication in cells. In addition, naphthoquinones have been shown to induce what are known as "reactive oxygen species" that can cause damage to cells. b-Lapachone is a very important pyranaphthoquinone obtained from the heartwood of the lapacho tree, Tabebuia avellanedae Lorentz ex. Griseb. (Bignoniaceae), and other Tabebuia trees native to Central and South America and chemically from lapachol. b-Lapachone has a diversity of useful biological activities against various cancer cell lines such as human ovarian and prostate tumors and, at lower doses is a radiosensitizer of several human cancer cell lines. It gives rise to a variety of effects in vitro including the inhibition or activation of topoisomerase I an II in a distinct manner from that of other topoisomerase inhibitors. This review intend to discuss some details of the mechanisms of quinone-induced cell damage and death, and we also summarize results of the literature indicating that b-Lapachone may take part in quinone-elicited apoptosis despite the fact that its mechanism of action in vivo and its targets are still unknown.

Abstract: The clinical diagnosis of pure neural leprosy (PNL) remains a public health care problem mainly because skin lesions-the cardinal features of leprosy-are always absent.Moreover, the identification of the leprosy bacillus is not easily achieved even when a nerve biopsy can be performed. In an attempt to reach a reliable PNL diagnosis in patients referred to our Leprosy Outpatient Clinic, this study employed a variety of criteria. The nerve biopsies performed on the 67 individuals whose clinical, neurological, and electrophysiological examination findings strongly suggested peripheral neuropathy were submitted to M. leprae identification via a polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Mononeuropathy multiplex was the most frequent clinical and electrophysiological pattern of nerve dysfunction, while sensory impairment occurred in 89% of all cases and motor dysfunction in 81%. Axonal neuropathy was the predominant electrophysiological finding, while the histopathological nerve study showed epithelioid granuloma in 14% of the patients, acid fast bacilli in 16%, and nonspecific inflammatory infiltrate and/or fibrosis in 39%. PCR for M. leprae was positive in 47% of the nerve biopsy samples (n=23). PCR, in conjunction with clinical and neurological examination results, can be a powerful tool in attempting to identify and confirm a PNL diagnosis.

Abstract: O trabalho discute as razoes pelas quais se considera ainda necessario no Brasil a implementacao de politicas agricolas e agrarias voltadas para pequenos produtores familiares. Sao criticadas as visoes predominantes, comuns tanto a esquerda quanto a direita, baseadas em falsas analogias com o caso dos paises desenvolvidos, as quais consideram que nao ha mais espaco no pais para politicas do tipo proposto. A importância da producao familiar e enfatizada tambem atraves de uma breve apresentacao dos dados do censo agricola do IBGE. Finalmente, na secao conclusiva do trabalho sao apresentadas algumas propostas de desenvolvimento rural sustentavel baseado na producao familiar.

Abstract: Chronic migraine (CM) patients frequently overuse symptomatic medications (SM). These medications may create a cycle of rebound, worsening of headache and withdrawal symptoms that perpetuate the headache itself. In addition, the overuse of such substances is believed to counteract the efficacy of preventive treatments. We conducted a prospective randomized open-label trial comparing approaches to out-patient management in 150 CM patients (125 women, 25 men; ages 18-80 years, mean 40.3 +/- 13.8) with overuse of SM. In each group, 50 patients received education and orientation and were then abruptly withdrawn from all SM. Immediately following withdrawal, the first group took prednisone (60 mg/ day 2 days, 40 mg/day 2 days and 20 mg/day 2 days) for 6 days, the second group did not have any regular medications to take and the third group took naratriptan (2.5 mg twice a day) during this initial period. All patients had similar profiles of headache characteristics and consumption (quality and quantity) of SM before initiation of the treatment, but most were not severe headache sufferers, heavy SM overusers or were overusing opioids. After 5 weeks the headache frequency and intensity, the prevalence and frequency of withdrawal symptoms and consumption of rescue medications during the first 6 days were compared between groups. In addition, adherence to treatment (who returned or not and for which reasons, between groups) and headache frequency, week by week, among the groups of patients were also compared. Forty-four (88%) patients from the prednisone group, 41 (82%) from the 'nothing' group and 35 (70%) from the naratriptan group adhered to the treatment and returned. The were no differences between groups with regard to treatment adherence (P = 0.072), headache frequency as well as intensity (P = 0.311) and decreasing of days with headache after 5 weeks and weekly (P = 0.275). However, the incidence of withdrawal symptoms and consumption of rescue drugs was higher among the patients who did not take regular medications during the first 6 days (P = 0.0001 and P = 0.006). We concluded that CM patients with moderate overuse of SM other than opioids may be detoxified on an out-patient basis regardless of the strategy adopted with regard to the use of regular drugs during the initial days of withdrawal, but prednisone and naratriptan may be useful for reducing withdrawal symptoms and rescue medication consumption. Further controlled studies are necessary to confirm these observations.

Abstract: Este texto analisa algumas dimensoes do sofrimento social (humilhacao, vergonha, falta de reconhecimento) vividas por adolescentes de categorias subalternizadas e os efeitos gerados nos contextos comunitario, grupal e social. A hipotese desenvolvida e a de que o sofrimento social nao tem visibilidade: ele se inscreve no interior das subjetividades sem, no entanto, ser compartilhado coletivamente. Na ultima parte do texto sao analisadas possiveis formas de intervencao junto a instituicoes e a organizacoes, objetivando criar trabalhos que atuem sobre as violencias simbolicas, geradoras de sentimentos que desqualificam os sujeitos.

Abstract: This paper aims to evaluate the efficiency of Brazilian air carriers. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) approach is used to determine the efficiency of each airline company, comparing its outputs with available inputs. Scale of operation is taken into account. The aim is to measure each company’s performance, comparing its relative efficiency to all others included in the group under investigation. It is possible to evaluate each carrier efficiency over the years (1998, 1999 and 2000), assuming that the same company is a different one in different years. Both efficiency index and targets choice are performed. The proposed approach, that uses a Multiobjective-DEA problem, allows choosing targets belonging to the feasible set of efficient companies.

Abstract: OBJETIVO: Definir a prevalencia do transtorno de deficit de atencao/hiperatividade (TDAH) numa amostra de criancas escolares de uma unica escola primaria publica. METODO: A populacao do estudo foi composta por todos os alunos das classes de alfabetizacao a quarta serie de uma escola. No primeiro estagio da pesquisa, as professoras e os pais preencheram um questionario padronizado de 18 sintomas definidos no DSM-IV. No segundo estagio, os alunos com triagem positiva foram convidados para um atendimento na escola. Apos assinatura de consentimento esclarecido, preencheram-se o questionario de sintomas do DSM-IV, uma anamnese dirigida e um questionario psicossocial concebido para a pesquisa e realizaram-se exames fisico e neurologico completos. O diagnostico de TDAH admitia tres subtipos: hiperativo predominante (H), desatento predominante (TDA), ou misto (TDA+ H). RESULTADOS: De 403 alunos avaliados no inicio, 108 tiveram triagem positiva. Destes, avaliaram-se 101 alunos. Havia 68 meninos e 33 meninas. A idade mediana foi 9 anos (faixa, 6-15 anos; desvio padrao, 1,99). O diagnostico de TDAH foi definido em 69 alunos (17,1%), incluindo 27 criancas (39,1%) com TDA sem H, 26 criancas (37,7%) com TDA + H e 16 (23,2%) com H sem TDA. Dentre as criancas diagnosticadas, 45 (65,2%) eram meninos e 24 (34,8%) meninas (razao 1,9:1). CONCLUSAO: A prevalencia de TDAH em 403 criancas escolares de uma escola primaria publica foi 17,1%.

Abstract: The conjunctival fungal flora of 32 adult horses with normal eyes (n = 64) from the State of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil was identified in the fall of 2000 using horses of different breeds, both genders and aged 5-19 years old. The culture samples were taken from the conjunctival sac of both eyes with a sterile cotton swab wetted with saline solution, seeded in Sabouraud's dextrose agar with chloramphenicol, and incubated for 5 days at an average temperature of 25 degrees C. The number of fungal colonies per eye varied between 0 and 250 colony forming units (CFUs). There were often differences in colony types between eyes of the same animal. Filamentous fungi of genera were isolated and identified in the following proportion of the total genera of fungal colonies isolated: Aspergillus (32.2%), Penicillium (25.8%), Scopulariopsis (15.9%), Trichoderma (11.2%), Cladosporium (5.6%), Mucor (2.1%), Syncephalastrum (2.1%), Eurotium (1.7%), Geotrichum (0.9%), Rhizopus (0.9%), Gliomastix (0.4%), Fusarium (0.4%), Staphylotrichum (0.4%) and Verticillium (0.4%). Yeast genera represented 9% of the total isolates. Over half the horses had at least one normal eye with either Aspergillus, Penicillium, Trichoderma or Scopulariopsis isolated, which is a departure from other studies of the normal horse eye.

Abstract: Brazil is one of the leading exporters of ornamental fishes, mostly freshwater; however, monitoring of the trade is nearly non-existent in the country. This paper provides an initial assessment of ´ a new venture, the marine aquarium fish trade at Ceara State, northeast Brazil, aiming to document the species traded, to provide preliminary estimates of numbers of specimens traded, and to identify priorities in data collection and monitoring. A total of 143 species and 199 304 fishes were traded. From the total, 109 species were native and represented 84% of the fishes traded. Thirty-four exotic species figured on the permits and amounted to nearly 16% of the exports; however, most of them consist of misidentified native species. Nearly 90% of the fish trade was directed to the international market. Official figures represent an underestimation of the total number of captured specimens.

Abstract: Foram estudados oito caes provenientes do Municipio de Marica (RJ), com lesoes sugestivas de leishmaniose tegumentar americana por metodos parasitologicos e sorologicos. Leishmania spp foi encontrada em seis caes atraves do cultivo in vitro. Anticorpos especificos foram detectados em seis animais pelo ELISA e em dois pela imunofluorescencia indireta. Cinco isolados caninos analisados apresentaram zimodema similar a Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis. Sugere-se que caes clinicamente suspeitos sejam acompanhados periodicamente, na tentativa de confirmar o diagnostico da leishmaniose tegumentar canina.

Abstract: Guanabara Bay, since its discovery, has largely changed with the human occupation causing large amounts of deposited sediment and waste, as well as domestic and industry sewage. Surface sediment was analysed for foraminifera and ostracoda distribution, diversity and dominance studies. These results were compared with TOC analyses aiming the determination of pollution bioindicators. In general, foraminifera dominant species were Ammonia tepida, Buliminella elegantissima and Quinqueloculina seminulum. The foraminifera assemblages presented distinct abundance and diversity values in different regions of the bay. The diversity was higher in the entrance (south) and in the central region than in the north region of the bay. The dominant species, that are characteristic of stressed environments, presented higher values of abundance in the north region. The TOC values increased from south to north regions, and were inversely proportional to foraminifera diversity. The very high TOC values in very polluted areas suggest sediment deposition in anoxic-dysoxic environment. The ostracoda Gen. Cyprideis was dominant and its occurrence increased from south to north region. Occurrence of Callistocythere sigmocostata, Xestoleberis sp., Aurila sp., and Paracypris sp. were restricted to the entrance and central area, indicating a preference for less restricted conditions, like marine conditions. Foraminifera and ostracoda characteristic responses to the environment conditions related high TOC values showed their importance as bioindicators of stressed environments caused by anthropogenic pollution, in the Guanabara Bay.

Abstract: Thirty samples of lettuces from self service restaurants of Niteroi were analyzed to detect bacteriological and parasitological contamination. Sixteen samples presented fecal coliform, 16 mesophilic aerobic microorganisms greater than 107 UFC/g and 3 cysts of Entamoeba coli. These data suggest the need of better orientation for food handlers regarding the hygiene of processed vegetables.

Abstract: This study of sleep changes in patients with cluster headache (CH) was conducted in view of the nocturnal predominance of this condition, the efficacy of oxygen and the fact that the attacks follow oxygen desaturation. Proposed mechanisms include impairment of carotid body activity secondary to hypothalamic vasomotor regulatory dysfunction. Sixteen patients with episodic CH and 29 healthy volunteers underwent nocturnal polysomnography. Five (31.3%) patients with episodic CH were found to have sleep apnoea (SA). Two patients with SA experienced two attacks during the study period. The attacks followed episodes of oxygen desaturation and were associated with REM sleep. In two patients with SA and CH, treatment with continuous positive airway pressure abolished their oxygen desaturation, sleep apnoeas and headaches. Our study confirmed the high percentage of CH associated with SA. We suggest that oxygen desaturation may be a trigger factor in some patients and play a role in the pathogenesis of CH.

Abstract: In a survey of 131 faecal samples from Rio de Janeiro domiciliated and stray cats, 63,4% were positive with a higher prevalence among stray animals. Ancylostoma sp (43.5%), Toxocara sp (19.1%), Cystoisospora sp (43.5%), Uncinaria sp (1.5%), Toxocaris leonine (7.6%), Giardia sp (6.1%) and Sarcocystis sp (0.8%) were found. This high prevalence suggests the need for improved control measures against cats to protect animal and human health.

Abstract: Leprosy is one of the most common diseases of the peripheral nerves. In some cases there is only neural involvement without skin changes (neuritic form). The neuropathy has often a distal stocking and glove distribution with thermal and pinprick anesthesia and preservation of proprioception. There is no weakness, the tendon reflexes may be preserved and sometimes the nerves are thickened. We reported 17 patients with a predominantly small-fiber polyneuropathy due to leprosy. All patients had distal temperature and pain anesthesia with different individual variations. The tendon reflexes were normal in seven patients and in eight there was thickening of the nerves. The nerve conduction was normal in three patients. Sural nerve biopsy consisted of: 1) inflammatory infiltrates, 2) vacuolated "foamy" cells, 3) fibrosis of endoneurium, perineurium, and epineurium, 4) partial or total loss of nerve fibers, 5) large number of bacilli. We concluded that in countries where leprosy is frequent, nerve biopsy is an obligatory procedure in patients with predominantly small-fiber polyneuropathy.

Abstract: The transport through a quantum wire with a side-coupled quantum dot is studied. We use the X-boson treatment for the Anderson single impurity model in the limit of $U=\ensuremath{\infty}.$ The conductance presents a minimum for values of $T=0$ in the crossover from mixed valence to Kondo regime due to a destructive interference between the ballistic channel associated with the quantum wire and the quantum dot channel. We obtain the experimentally studied Fano behavior of the resonance. The conductance as a function of temperature exhibits a logarithmic and universal behavior, that agrees with recent experimental results.

Abstract: Electronic properties of toroidal carbon nanotubes are studied adopting a single \ensuremath{\pi}-band tight binding Hamiltonian and following real-space renormalization techniques within the Green function formalism The analysis is restricted to the achiral torus and the dependence of the toroidal energy spectra on its radius and thickness (tube radius) is inferred from the local density of states The possibility of a metal-insulating transition occurrence in infinite single tubes and toroidal is investigated as functions of magnetic and electric fields applied in distinct configurations As expected, periodical Aharonov-Bohm oscillations in the local density of states at the Fermi level of the nanostructures are found as a result of the annular symmetry When substitutional impurities are taken into account such an oscillatory behavior is found to be preserved Effects of vacancy defects on the electronic properties are also discussed

Abstract: Lipase PS-catalyzed kinetic resolution of vicinal azidoalcohols was accomplished. The enzymatic reaction rates and the enantioselectivities were significantly enhanced under the ultrasonic irradiation.

Abstract: No presente trabalho procurou-se conhecer o perfil das enteroparasitoses na cidade de Sao Raimundo Nonato, sudeste do Piaui, e confirmar ou nao os resultados obtidos em estudos anteriores em relacao a infeccao por Ascaris lumbricoidese Trichuris trichiura. No periodo de setembro de 2000 a fevereiro de 2001, por meio de amostragem domiciliar por conveniencia, foram examinadas 265 amostras fecais da populacao pelo metodo de sedimentacao espontânea, das quais 57% foram positivas para enteroparasitos. Entamoeba coli (35,8%), Endolimax nana (13,6%), Hymenolepis nana (9,4%) e os ancilostomideos (9,4%) foram os parasitos mais frequentes. Foram observados dois casos de A. lumbricoides, possivelmente adquiridos fora do municipio. Nenhuma amostra foi positiva para T. trichiura. Esses resultados mostram um padrao diferente do restante do pais. Traca-se um paralelo entre os resultados deste estudo com os achados paleoparasitologicos na populacao pre-historica, habitante da regiao ha pelo menos sete mil anos.

Abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate the operational control of water fluoridation at the city water supply plant in Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from January to December 2000. The water treatment supervisor filled out a questionnaire on the control of water fluoridation. In addition, water samples were collected every two weeks for fluoride analysis before and after treatment. Samples were analyzed by an independent laboratory using an ion-specific electrode. According to the water treatment supervisor, the entire process for controlling fluoride concentration in the water was rigorous and complied with Brazilian guidelines, but according to testing, 96% of samples were inadequate in terms of risks/benefits of fluoride use from water. The information obtained from the plant supervisor and the test data were thus mutually inconsistent. Based on these data, an independent water fluoride concentration control program is needed to ensure the benefits of dental caries prevention for the population.