Exposure of elementary school-aged Brazilian children to bisphenol A: association with demographic, social, and behavioral factors, and a worldwide comparison.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a plasticizer used to synthesize polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins and is well-known for its endocrine-disrupting action. BPA occurrence in the environment is widespread, and there is a growing concern regarding exposure to this chemical during childhood, given the findings indicating the long-lasting hazards associated with exposure during early life compared to adulthood. We examined urinary BPA concentrations from 319 elementary school-aged Brazilian children, using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry.

Wastewater surveillance to assess cocaine and methylenedioxymethamphetamine use trends during a major music festival in Brazil.

Wastewater-based epidemiology was applied in northeastern Brazil during a dance festival, revealing that cocaine consumption doubled during the event days. The daily drug loads were 0.95 ± 0.

Workflow to facilitate the detection of new psychoactive substances and drugs of abuse in influent urban wastewater.

The complexity around the dynamic markets for new psychoactive substances (NPS) forces researchers to develop and apply innovative analytical strategies to detect and identify them in influent urban wastewater. In this work a comprehensive suspect screening workflow following liquid chromatography - high resolution mass spectrometry analysis was established utilising the open-source InSpectra data processing platform and the HighResNPS library. In total, 278 urban influent wastewater samples from 47 sites in 16 countries were collected to investigate the presence of NPS and other drugs of abuse.

How natural and anthropogenic factors should drive microplastic behavior and fate: The scenario of Brazilian urban freshwater.

Brazil maintains its position at the top of the global ranking of plastic producers, yet recycling efforts have been incipient. Recent data reveals an annual production of approximately 14 million tons of plastic waste, not accounting for the surge in the usage of plastic masks and related materials due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, what remains largely unreported is that over half of post-consumer plastic packaging in Brazil is managed without any monitoring, and it remains unclear how this will contribute to the occurrence of plastic waste and microplastics in Brazilian freshwaters.

Three years of wastewater surveillance for new psychoactive substances from 16 countries.

The proliferation of new psychoactive substances (NPS) over recent years has made their surveillance complex. The analysis of raw municipal influent wastewater can allow a broader insight into community consumption patterns of NPS. This study examines data from an international wastewater surveillance program that collected and analysed influent wastewater samples from up to 47 sites in 16 countries between 2019 and 2022.

Wastewater-based epidemiology: A Brazilian SARS-COV-2 surveillance experience.

Since 2020, developed countries have rapidly shared both publicly and academically relevant wastewater surveillance information. Data on SARS-CoV-2 circulation is pivotal for guiding public health policies and improving the COVID-19 pandemic response. Conversely, low- and middle-income countries, such as Latin America and the Caribbean, showed timid activities in the Wastewater-Based Epidemiology (WBE) context.

Skin Regenerative Potential of Cupuaçu Seed Extract (), a Native Fruit from the Amazon: Development of a Topical Formulation Based on Chitosan-Coated Nanocapsules.

Scarless skin regeneration is a challenge in regenerative medicine. Herein, we explore the regenerative potential of a Cupuaçu seed extract () to develop an innovative skin regeneration formulation based on chitosan-coated nanocapsules. Cupuaçu seed extract significantly stimulated cell proliferation and migration.

Multilayered iron oxide/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite electrode for voltammetric sensing of bisphenol-A in lake water and thermal paper samples.

A multilayered iron oxide/reduced graphene oxide (ION-RGO) nanocomposite electrode is reported for the voltammetric sensing of bisphenol-A (BPA). Structural characterizations reveal the nanocomposite features RGO sheets decorated with nanometric spherical ION in a mixture of maghemite and magnetite phases. ITO substrate modified with the ION-RGO multilayered film exhibits strong electrocatalytic effect toward BPA oxidation, which is made possible by Fe(III) catalysts generated at the ION's surface after scanning the electrode potential from below 0 V (vs Ag/AgCl) and followed by the RGO phase conducting the transferred electrons.

Profiling cocaine residues and pyrolytic products in wastewater by mixed-mode liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

This work provides a new analytical method for the determination of cocaine, its metabolites benzoylecgonine and cocaethylene, the pyrolytic products anhydroecgonine and anhydroecgonine methyl ester, and the pharmaceutical levamisole in wastewater. Samples were solid-phase extracted and extracts analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry using, for the first time in the illicit drug field, a stationary phase that combines reversed-phase and weak cation-exchange functionalities. The overall method performance was satisfactory, with limits of detection below 1 ng/L, relative standard deviations below 21%, and percentages of recovery between 93% and 121%.

Method Development for Assessing Carbamazepine, Caffeine, and Atrazine in Water Sources from the Brazilian Federal District Using UPLC-QTOF/MS.

About 3.0 million people living under a typical tropical savannah climate in the Brazilian Federal District (FD) have faced an unprecedented water crisis. Considering the need for indirect reuse of wastewater for public supply, this work aimed to investigate FD water sources regarding the presence and risks of three contaminants of emerging concern: caffeine, carbamazepine, and atrazine.

Intestinal parasite infections in a rural community of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil): Prevalence and genetic diversity of Blastocystis subtypes.

Background: Intestinal parasitic infections are considered a serious public health problem and widely distributed worldwide, mainly in urban and rural environments of tropical and subtropical countries. Globally, soil-transmitted helminths and protozoa are the most common intestinal parasites. Blastocystis sp.

Recycling of wastes from fish beneficiation by composting: chemical characteristics of the compost and efficiency of their humic acids in stimulating the growth of lettuce.

Waste from the beneficiation of fish was composted with crushed grass aiming to characterize their chemical composition and investigate the possibility of the use of the final compost as source of humic acids (HA) able to stimulate the growth of lettuce. Compost presented pH value, C/N ratio, and electrical conductivity that allow its use as an organic fertilizer. The element content was present in the following order of abundance in the compost: P > Ca > N > Mg > K > Fe > Zn > Mn > Mo > Cu, and the humus composition was similar to that observed in others kind of organic residues composted.

A preliminary nationwide survey of the presence of emerging contaminants in drinking and source waters in Brazil.

This is the first nationwide survey of emerging contaminants in Brazilian waters. One hundred drinking water samples were investigated in 22 Brazilian state capitals. In addition, seven source water samples from two of the most populous regions of the country were evaluated.

Prevalence of intestinal parasites and risk factors forspecific and multiple helminth infections in a remote city of the Brazilian Amazon.

Introduction: Few studies have described the risk factors of intestinal parasitic infections in the Amazon.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was performed in a City of the State of Amazonas (Brazil) to estimate the prevalence of intestinal parasites and determine the risk factors for helminth infections.

Results: Ascaris lumbricoides was the most prevalent parasite.

Genetic diversity of Cryptosporidium identified in clinical samples from cities in Brazil and Argentina.

The identification and characterisation of Cryptosporidium genotypes and subtypes are fundamental to the study of cryptosporidiosis epidemiology, aiding in prevention and control strategies. The objective was to determine the genetic diversity of Cryptosporidium in samples obtained from hospitals of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Buenos Aires, Argentina. Samples were analysed by microscopy and TaqMan polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays for Cryptosporidium detection, genotyped by nested-PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of the 18S rRNA gene and subtyped by DNA sequencing of the gp60 gene.

Blastocystis sp. in splenic cysts: causative agent or accidental association? A unique case report.

Background: Blastocystis sp. is one of the most prevalent parasites found in human stool and has been recently considered an opportunistic emerging pathogen in immunocompromised individuals. However, cases of invasive intestinal infections and skin rashes have been attributed to infection by Blastocystis sp in immunocompetent individuals, suggesting that it is an emerging parasite with pathogenic potential.

First case report of infection caused by Encephalitozoon intestinalis in a domestic cat and a patient with AIDS.

Microsporidia are eukaryotic, intracellular obligate parasites that infect invertebrate and vertebrate animals, and have emerged as important opportunistic parasites in AIDS patients. We used light microscopy to detect microsporidial spores in stool samples of a domestic cat confirmed as Encephalitozoon intestinalis by PCR, owned by an AIDS patient with chronic diarrhea and E. intestinalis infection.

Bioluminescent yeast estrogen assay (BLYES) as a sensitive tool to monitor surface and drinking water for estrogenicity.

Estrogenic Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) are a concern due to their ubiquity and recognized adverse effects to humans and wildlife. Methods to assess exposure to and associated risks of their presence in aquatic environment are still under development. The aim of this work is to assess estrogenicity of raw and treated waters with different degrees of pollution.

Determination of antibiotics in Brazilian surface waters using liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry.

A liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for the determination of antibiotics in water was developed and applied to Brazilian surface waters. Amoxicillin, ampicillin, cefalexin (CEF), ciprofloxacin (CIP), norfloxacin (NOR), sulfamethoxazole, tetracycline (TET), and trimethoprim were selected as target compounds due to their high consumption pattern in Brazil. LC and MS conditions were optimized to produce the maximum analytic response for each compound.

Tuberculosis and intestinal parasitism among indigenous people in the Brazilian Amazon region.

The objective of the survey was to estimate the frequencies of tuberculosis and intestinal parasitosis in indigenous communities at the locality of Iauareté, Northern Brazil, in 2001. This was a cross-sectional survey (n=333) aimed at obtaining demographic data and biological samples for sputum and feces examinations. Among the 43 individuals with respiratory symptoms, six presented alcohol/acid-fast bacilli in sputum.

Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection among indian people living in Iauareté, São Gabriel da Cachoeira, Amazonas, Brazil.

The goal of this survey was to estimate the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in Iauareté, a multiethnic Indian community in the upper Rio Negro basin. We carried out a cross-sectional survey (n = 260), in order to obtain serum samples and demographic data. The sample was randomly selected, by family conglomerate analysis.

Intestinal protozoa and helminths among Terena Indians in the State of Mato Grosso do Sul: high prevalence of Blastocystis hominis.

A parasitological survey was carried out among Terena Indians living in the Tereré settlement in the municipality of Sidrolândia, State of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Single samples of feces from 313 Indians were processed by means of the spontaneous sedimentation method. In the population studied, 73.

Mass treatment for intestinal helminthiasis control in an Amazonian endemic area in Brazil.

The objective of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of soil-transmitted helminthiasis and evaluate the sanitary conditions and the role of a mass treatment campaign for control of these infections in Santa Isabel do Rio Negro. A cross-sectional survey was carried out in 2002, to obtain data related to the sanitary conditions of the population and fecal samples for parasitological examination in 308 individuals, followed by a mass treatment with albendazole or mebendazole with coverage of 83% of the city population in 2003. A new survey was carried out in 2004, involving 214 individuals, for comparison of the prevalences of intestinal parasitosis before and after the mass treatment.

Identification of copper sources in urban surface waters using the principal component analysis based on aquatic parameters.

The goal of this work was to identify the sources of copper loads in surface urban waters using principal component analysis under the aquatic parameters data evaluation approach. Water samples from the Irai and Iguacu rivers were collected monthly during a 12-month period at two points located upstream and downstream of a metropolitan region. pH, total alkalinity, dissolved chloride, total suspended solids, dissolved organic matter, total recoverable copper, temperature, and precipitation data provided some reliable information concerning the characteristics and water quality of both rivers.