Performance of Chimeric Antigens in Serological Screening for Chagas Disease in Blood Banks.

Chagas disease (CD) is among the top 10 causes of inability to blood donation. Blood donation centers screen for anti- antibodies using highly sensitive immunoenzymatic (ELISA) or chemiluminescent methods, which can lead to false positive results. Since positive samples cannot be used, to avoid the loss of valuable blood donations, it is necessary to improve specificity without reducing the sensitivity of the tests used for blood screening.

Healthy lifestyle behaviors and the periodicity of mammography screening in Brazilian women.

Introduction: Certain behaviors have been associated with health promotion, including mammography screening, in women worldwide.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine whether there is an association between the periodicity of mammography screening and healthy lifestyle behaviors in Brazilian women employed at a public university in Bahia, Brazil.

Methods: A total of 635 women of 50-69 years of age at the time of the interview, from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health cohort who were resident in Bahia, participated in the study.

Prognostic value of electrocardiographic abnormalities in adults from the Brazilian longitudinal study of adults' health.

Objective: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are highly preventable non-communicable diseases. ECG is a potential tool for risk stratification with respect to CVD. Our aim was to evaluate ECG's role in all-cause and cardiovascular mortality prediction.

Evidence of New Endemic Clusters of Human T-Cell Leukemia Virus (HTLV) Infection in Bahia, Brazil.

Background: Salvador, Bahia (northeastern Brazil), has been identified as the epicenter of Human T-cell leukemia virus Human T-cell leukemia virus (HTLV) type 1 infection in the country. This study aims to estimate the rate of HTLV infection and the geographical distribution of this virus in this state.

Methods: All HTLV tests (chemiluminescence/ELISA assays/Western Blotting) performed in the Central Laboratory of Public Health of Bahia (LACEN) from 2004 to 2013 were included.

Proposed criteria for the identification of polycystic ovary syndrome following menopause: An ancillary study of the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil).

Objectives: To propose plausible criteria with which to identify menopausal women with PCOS.

Study Design: A cross-sectional study involving the baseline data of 713 menopausal women at admission to the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil) in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.

Main Outcome Measures: PCOS was identified by the presence of two of three criteria.

HTLV-1 in pregnant women from the Southern Bahia, Brazil: a neglected condition despite the high prevalence.

Background: As the most frequent pathway of vertical transmission of HTLV-1 is breast-feeding, and considering the higher prevalence in women, it is very important to perform screening examinations for anti-HTLV-1 antibodies as part of routine prenatal care. So far, no studies of HTLV-1 seroprevalence in pregnant women in the Southern region of Bahia, Brazil, have been described.

Methods: Pregnant women were selected at the two regional reference centers for health care from Southern Bahia.

[Quality of abortion care in the Unified Health System of Northeastern Brazil: what do women say?].

Abortion is a serious health problem in Brazil and complications can be avoided by adequate and timely care. The article evaluates the quality of care given to women admitted for abortion in hospitals operated by the Unified Health System, in Salvador, Recife and São Luis, the benchmarks being Ministry of Health norms and user satisfaction. The article analyzes 2804 women admitted to hospital for abortion complications in 19 hospitals, between August and December 2010.

The role of education level in the intergenerational pattern of adolescent pregnancy in Brazil.

Context: Adolescent pregnancy has been associated with the early childbearing experience of the mothers of adolescents, and young people's education level is believed to be an important factor in this phenomenon.

Methods: In 2002, a representative household survey collected data from 3,050 young men and women aged 20-24 in three Brazilian cities. The main measures were mother's age at first birth, daughter's age at first pregnancy and son's age when he first impregnated a partner; ages were dichotomized as younger than 20 and 20 or older.

[Contraceptive use among adolescents at public schools in Brazil].

Objective: There has been a growing interest in patterns of contraceptive use among adolescents, due, in particular, to the social relevance attached to pregnancy in this age group. Therefore, the objective of the study was to investigate factors associated with the use of contraceptive methods among female and male adolescent students.

Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted, by means of self-applied questionnaires, among 4,774 students ranging from 11 to 19 years of age.