Inflammatory biomarkers in workers exposed to silica dust: integrative review.

Introduction: Silicosis is a severe, progressive, fibrosing lung disease caused by the inhalation of free crystalline silica dust; it is the most prevalent pneumoconiosis worldwide. It is associated with a chronic inflammatory process triggered by silica particles in the pulmonary alveoli. Alveolar macrophages play a key role in the pathogenesis of silicosis, with additional contributions from polymorphonuclear cells, epithelial cells, and the release of inflammatory mediators.

Oscillometry in Asthma: Respiratory Modeling and Analysis in Occupational and Work-Exacerbated Phenotypes.

Background: Asthma onset or worsening of the disease in adulthood may be associated with occupational asthma (OA) or work-exacerbated asthma (WEA). Oscillometry and respiratory modeling offer insight into the pathophysiology and contribute to the early diagnosis of respiratory abnormalities.

Purpose: This study aims to compare the changes due to OA and WEA and evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of this method.

Brazilian Thoracic Society recommendations for the diagnosis and monitoring of asbestos-exposed individuals.

Asbestos was largely used in Brazil. It is a mineral that induces pleural and pulmonary fibrosis, and it is a potent carcinogen. Our objective was to develop recommendations for the performance of adequate imaging tests for screening asbestos-related diseases.

Genetic polymorphisms and their effects on the severity of silicosis in workers exposed to silica in Brazil.

Objective: Silicosis is a pneumoconiosis characterized by fibrosis of the lung parenchyma caused by inhalation of silica particles. Genetic factors might play a role in the severity silicosis. We sought to evaluate the influence of polymorphisms in the ACE, FAS, FASLG, NOS2, IL1RN, FAM13A, TGFB1, and TNF genes on the severity of silicosis.

Combined forced oscillation and fractional-order modeling in patients with work-related asthma: a case-control study analyzing respiratory biomechanics and diagnostic accuracy.

Background: Fractional-order (FrOr) models have a high potential to improve pulmonary science. These models could be useful for biomechanical studies and diagnostic purposes, offering accurate models with an improved ability to describe nature. This paper evaluates the performance of the Forced Oscillation (FO) associated with integer (InOr) and FrOr models in the analysis of respiratory alterations in work-related asthma (WRA).

Prevalence and factors associated with respiratory symptoms among civil construction workers: an occupational health surveillance proposal.

Background: The civil construction industry is associated with the some of the highest morbidity and mortality rates in Brazil. Despite their epidemiological relevance, occupational health surveillance actions within the primary care setting still exhibit weaknesses.

Objective: To analyze the prevalence of and factors associated with respiratory symptoms among civil construction workers in Cuiaba, Mato Grosso, Brazil.

Entropy Analysis for the Evaluation of Respiratory Changes Due to Asbestos Exposure and Associated Smoking.

Breathing is a complex rhythmic motor act, which is created by integrating different inputs to the respiratory centres. Analysing nonlinear fluctuations in breathing may provide clinically relevant information in patients with complex illnesses, such as asbestosis. We evaluated the effect of exposition to asbestos on the complexity of the respiratory system by investigating the respiratory impedance sample entropy (SampEnZrs) and recurrence period density entropy (RPDEnZrs).

Early Diagnosis of Respiratory Abnormalities in Asbestos-Exposed Workers by the Forced Oscillation Technique.

Background: The current reference test for the detection of respiratory abnormalities in asbestos-exposed workers is spirometry. However, spirometry has several shortcomings that greatly affect the efficacy of current asbestos control programs. The forced oscillation technique (FOT) represents the current state-of-the-art technique in the assessment of lung function.

[Indicator of socio-environmental vulnerability in the Western Amazon. The case of the city of Porto Velho, State of Rondônia, Brazil].

The accelerated process of urbanization in the State of Amazônia associated with changes in the patterns of exploitation of natural resources have resulted in several types of environmental impacts, such as urban air pollution produced by forest fires which alters the relationship between urban and rural areas and establishes new vulnerabilities. The scope of this study is to analyze the socio-environmental vulnerability in relation to forest fires and health effects in the urban area of Porto Velho, located in the Brazilian Amazon region. Data was analyzed using a synthetic indicator combining income and education aspects, housing infrastructure, environmental exposure and health effects.

Acute effects of particulate matter and black carbon from seasonal fires on peak expiratory flow of schoolchildren in the Brazilian Amazon.

Background: Panel studies have shown adverse effects of air pollution from biomass burning on children's health. This study estimated the effect of current levels of outdoor air pollution in the Amazonian dry season on peak expiratory flow (PEF).

Methods: A panel study with 234 schoolchildren from 6 to 15 years old living in the municipality of Tangará da Serra, Brazil was conducted.

[Ground-clearing fires in the amazon and respiratory disease].

The intentional burning of forest biomass commonly known as "ground-clearing fires" is an age-old and widespread practice in the country and is seen as a major contributor to global emissions of greenhouse gases. However, global awareness of their potential impact is relatively recent. The occurrence of large ground-clearing fires in the Brazilian and international scenarios drew attention to the problem, but the measures taken to prevent and/or control the fires are still insufficient.

Association between fine particulate matter and the peak expiratory flow of schoolchildren in the Brazilian subequatorial Amazon: a panel study.

Background: Exposure to high levels of particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 μm (PM(2.5)) resulting from biomass burning is frequent in the subequatorial Amazon region.

[Asbestos, danger and invisibility: perception of environmental risks and health of the residents of Bom Jesus da Serra/Bahia state].

It is important for society as a whole to know how environmentally exposed populations understand and respond to technological chemical risks. This study aimed to analyze the perception of environmental risks and health of the residents of BJS/BA, which is an area especially subjected to environmental exposure to asbestos in Brazil. Mixed questionnaires were used on residents who attend the "Family Health Program" of this city.

Prevalence of asthma in schoolchildren in Alta Floresta- a municipality in the southeast of the Brazilian Amazon.

Objective: To analyze the prevalence and symptoms of asthma in students of the Brazilian Amazon municipality of Alta Floresta-MT.

Methods: Cross-sectional study on the prevalence of asthma in 6 and 7 year-old children and 13 to 14 year-old adolescents, using the Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood - ISAAC method, phase I in 2007. Students who answered affirmatively question 2 - "presence of wheezing in the past 12 months" were considered asthmatic.

[Trend of mortality from respiratory disease in elderly and the forest fires in the state of Rondônia/Brazil - period between 1998 and 2005].

The forest fires in the Amazon region have been a serious environmental problem. Few studies relate the effects of forest fires on the health of exposed populations. This article aims to study the trend of mortality from respiratory diseases in the elderly, in the period 1998 to 2005, in the state of Rondônia and to correlate with the number of fire focuses.

Prevalence of asthma in children and adolescents in a city in the Brazilian Amazon region.

Objective: To analyze the prevalence of asthma and asthma symptoms in students of two distinct age brackets residing in the city of Tangará da Serra, Brazil.

Methods: Cross-sectional, population-based study of the prevalence of asthma in children from 6 to 7 years of age and adolescents from 13 to 14, using the standardized International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood, phase 1 questionnaire, validated for use in Brazil. Students who responded affirmatively to question 2 (presence of wheezing in the preceding 12 months) were classified as suffering from asthma.

Effect of air pollution on lung function in schoolchildren in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Objective: To assess the association between daily exposure to air pollution and lung function in school children.

Methods: Panel study with a random sample of 118 students (between 6 and 15 years of age), enrolled in a public school of the city of Rio de Janeiro, state of Rio de Janeiro, and living within 2 km of the study site. Data on students' characteristics were obtained with a questionnaire, including the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood - ISAAC.

Respiratory disease and climatic seasonality in children under 15 years old in a town in the Brazilian Amazon.

Objective: To analyze the climatic seasonality of primary care visits for respiratory disease (RD) in children less than 15 years old.

Methods: This was a descriptive, epidemiological study based on data from the municipal records of primary care events from basic healthcare centers for the period 2004-2005, for the municipality of Tangará da Serra (MT), Brazil. Population estimates were obtained from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística, IGBE), and data on temperature and relative humidity of the air, from the National Meteorology Institute (Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia, INMET).

Analysis of hospitalizations for respiratory diseases in Tangará da Serra, Brazil.

Objective: To analyze hospitalizations for respiratory diseases among children under 15 years of age in an area with high levels of environmental pollution.

Methods: A cross-sectional study of hospitalizations due to respiratory diseases of patients residing in the city of Tangará da Serra, located in the state of Mato Grosso (Brazilian Amazon region), from 2000 to 2005. Data on hospital admissions were obtained from the Brazilian Unified Health Care System and from Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics population estimates.

Mesothelioma mortality in Brazil, 1980-2003.

Although asbestos causes asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma, it remains widely used in Brazil, mostly in cement-fiber products. We report the Brazilian mesothelioma mortality trend 1980-2003, using records of the national System of Mortality Information of DATASUS, including all deaths with IX International Disease Classification (ICD9) codes 163.n--pleura cancer during the period 1980-1995; and ICD10 codes c45.

Air pollution and respiratory diseases in the Municipality of Vitória, Espírito Santo State, Brazil.

In Brazil, increasing air pollution in urban areas has led to a rise in respiratory diseases among children and the elderly and has also been the main cause of hospital admissions. This study aims to evaluate the air pollution levels in Vitória, capital of Espírito Santo State, Brazil, in comparison to Brazilian legislation and recent World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, analyzing the spatial distribution of asthma cases treated at local outpatient services. A descriptive epidemiological study was performed with daily records on air pollution and outpatient treatment for respiratory diseases from 2001 to 2003, for children under 6 years of age.