[Construction and validation of a socio-environmental vulnerability index for monitoring and management of natural disasters in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil].

Floods account for approximately 40% of natural disasters that occur around the world and they are therefore considered a major public health problem. While floods constitute a global problem, data from the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction showed that almost all of the deaths or individuals affected are concentrated in developing countries. It is assumed that, although they have natural causes, the consequences of floods also involve social issues.

[Peripheral and central auditory effects of pesticide exposure: a systematic review].

The World Health Organization reports a total of 3 million annual cases of acute pesticide poisoning (2.1 million cases in the developing countries alone). Pesticide use has reached alarming proportions in Brazil in the last decade.

[Epidemiological assessment of the socioeconomic status as a factor associated with the occurrence of musculoskeletal disorders].

Unlabelled: Musculoskeletal diseases are included as priorities among Public Health topics, particularly in Worker's Health, because of the high incidence and multiple factors that are associated with their occurrence. The purpose of this study is to assess the association between social and economic status of occupations, consolidated in the form of the socio-economic index of occupational status (ISEI) and the occurrence of musculoskeletal diseases.

Methods: The population studied included 157,676 workers of both genders, with ages ranging from 18 to 65, included in the Brazilian National Household Survey (PNAD--"Pesquisa Nacional de Amostra de Domicílios") carried out in 2003.