High genetic diversity of Anaplasma marginale infecting dairy cattle in northeastern Brazil.

Anaplasma marginale is an obligate intracellular Gram-negative bacterium found in ruminants' erythrocytes and is the etiological agent of bovine anaplasmosis. The bacterium's genetic diversity has been characterized based on sequences of major surface proteins (MSPs), such as MSP1α. The aim of the present study was to investigate the genetic diversity of A.

Record of Edessa scabriventris Stål (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) associated to Eugenia uniflora (Brazilian-Cherry) and Psidium guajava (Guava) (Myrtaceae), in north-northeastern Brazil.

This study reports for the first time Edessa scabriventris Stål on Eugenia uniflora (Brazilian-cherry) and on Psidium guajava (guava) (Myrtaceae), fruit trees with economic value. Its geographic distribution is extended with records for the states of Alagoas (Maceió Municipality 35°45'11.16''W; 9°40'18.

When worlds collide.

ABSTThe UK has a strong tradition of innovative evaluative health care research. There are, however, considerable forces impeding collaboration between clinicians, academics, patients and their advocates and industry. This paper argues that, if the UK is to regain a position at the forefront of clinical research into evaluation of care, some of these forces need to be overcome.

Comparison of carbamazepine and lithium in treatment of bipolar disorder: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.

Objectives: To review data from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the comparative efficacy of carbamazepine and lithium in treatment of acute manic and maintenance phase of bipolar disorder (BD).

Design: RCTs were identified through a search strategy that included: electronic databases, reference cross-checking, hand search of non-indexed publications, and book chapters on the treatment of BD comparing carbamazepine with lithium. Outcomes investigated were antimanic effect, trial withdrawal, relapse, hospitalization, need for rescue medication, and presence of adverse effects.

The Portuguese version of the Clinical Global Impression-Schizophrenia Scale: validation study.

Objectives: The Clinical Global Impression-Schizophrenia Scale was designed to assess severity and treatment response in subjects with schizophrenia involved in naturalistic studies and daily clinical practice. The objective of this study is to validate the Portuguese version of the Clinical Global Impression-Schizophrenia Scale in Brazil by assessing its psychometric properties.

Method: Cross-sectional validation study of the Portuguese version of the Clinical Global Impression-Schizophrenia Scale, tested in outpatients and inpatients with schizophrenia (DSM-IV, ICD-10) from 6 centers in Brazil.

Reviewing CATIE for clinicians: balancing benefit and risk using evidence-based medicine tools.

Background: In order to learn from the Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE) schizophrenia study and apply its results to day-to-day clinical practice, it would be useful to quantify the benefits and risks of the studied antipsychotics.

Scope: Reviewing the CATIE results from the perspective of evidence-based medicine metrics of attributable risk (AR), number needed to treat (NNT), number needed to harm (NNH), and likelihood of being helped or harmed (LHH) helps clinicians translate the CATIE findings for individualized treatment in clinical practice.

Findings: Use of these evidence-based tools demonstrates that the NNT to avoid a psychiatric hospitalization due to the exacerbation of schizophrenia ranged from 3 to 7 in favor of olanzapine compared with the other antipsychotics.

Lack of association between the Serotonin Transporter Promoter Polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) and Panic Disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The aim of this study is to assess the association between the Serotonin Transporter Promoter Polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) and Panic Disorder (PD).

Methods: This is a systematic review and meta-analysis of case-control studies with unrelated individuals of any ethnic origin examining the role of the 5-HTTLPR in PD according to standard diagnostic criteria (DSM or ICD). Articles published in any language between January 1996 and April 2007 were eligible.

The worldwide prevalence of ADHD: a systematic review and metaregression analysis.

Objective: The worldwide prevalence estimates of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)/hyperkinetic disorder (HD) are highly heterogeneous. Presently, the reasons for this discrepancy remain poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to determine the possible causes of the varied worldwide estimates of the disorder and to compute its worldwide-pooled prevalence.

A naturalistic, 9-month follow-up, comparing olanzapine and conventional antipsychotics on sexual function and hormonal profile for males with schizophrenia.

Second generation antipsychotics have less influence on prolactin levels than conventional antipsychotics (CA), which are commonly associated with sexual dysfunction and hyperprolactinaemia. However, only a few studies have been conducted assessing these newer antipsychotics and sexual function/dysfunction. The aim of this study is to evaluate the sexual function and hormonal profile of male schizophrenic patients taking olanzapine or CA.

A systematic review on clinical management of antipsychotic-induced sexual dysfunction in schizophrenia.

Introduction: Sexual dysfunction frequently occurs in patients with schizophrenia under antipsychotic therapy, and the presence of sexual side effects may affect compliance. The aim of this study was to review and describe clinical findings relating to the appropriate management of such dysfunctions.

Material And Methods: The research was carried out through Medline (from 1966 to March 2005), PsycInfo (from 1974 to March 2005), and Cochrane Library (from 1965 to March 2005) and included any kind of study, from case reports to randomized trials.

Weight gain management in patients with schizophrenia during treatment with olanzapine in association with nizatidine.

Objective: Weight gain is associated with treatment with many psychotropic agents. Nizatidine, H2 receptor antagonist, has been proposed to have weight-reducing effects. This was a 12-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of nizatidine in reducing/limiting weight gain in patients with schizophrenia who have been under treatment with olanzapine.

Mental health epidemiological research in South America: recent findings.

This paper aims to review the recent mental health epidemiological research conducted in South America. The Latin American and the Caribbean (LILACS) database was searched from 1999 to 2003 using a specific strategy for identification of cohort, case-control and cross-sectional population-based studies in South America. The authors screened references and identified relevant studies.

[Modifications in psychotropic drug use patterns in a Southern Brazilian city].

Objective: To assess the prevalence and patterns of psychotropic use by population and to compare the results with a study carried out in 1994.

Methods: This is a population-based cross-sectional study carried out in 2003 with 3,542 participants aged 15 or older who lived in an urban area in Southern Brazil. Two-week recall data were collected in household interviews through the same questionnaire used in the 1994 study.

Use of the gamma probe in sentinel lymph node biopsy in patients with prostate cancer.

Objective: To describe the reproducibility of the sentinel lymph node technique in patients with prostate cancer and verify if there is improved accuracy over modified lymphadenectomy.

Material And Methods: Twenty-three patients with biopsy proven prostate cancer were enrolled in this study. Lymphoscintigraphy was performed after the transrectal administration of Tc sulfur colloid guided by ultrasound, with one injection in each prostate lobe.

The efficacy of antidepressants for generalized anxiety disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To investigate the efficacy and acceptability of antidepressants in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder.

Methods: All randomized controlled trials assessing the use of antidepressants in generalized anxiety disorder up to may 2002 were included. Non randomized trials and those that included patients with both generalized anxiety disorder and another Axis I co-morbidity were excluded.

[Weight and height validation for diagnosis of adult nutritional status in southern Brazil].

This study evaluated the accuracy of body mass index (BMI) based on self-reported weight and height for predicting adult nutritional status. In a cross-sectional study of 3,934 adults (> 20 years) in Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, a sub-sample of 140 individuals was drawn and weight and height were measured. From the comparison between "measured" and "reported" BMI, the average reported BMI error was estimated and the associated factors were identified.

[Depression in the elderly: are doctors investigating it?].

Objectives: To evaluate whether doctors are investigating depression in the elderly.

Methods: Cross-sectional population-based survey, including individuals aged 60 years or above, resident in the urban area of Pelotas, Brazil. The sample was selected using a multiple-stage protocol based on Brazilian census data.

[Factors associated with drug use among adolescent students in southern Brazil].

Objective: To assess factors associated with drug use among adolescent students from schools providing secondary education.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in Pelotas, Southern Brazil, in 1998. An anonymous, self-administered questionnaire was answered by a proportional sample of 10-19-year-old students, enrolled in primary (5th grade and further) and secondary classes in all public and private schools of the urban area which providing secondary education.

The prevalence of tardive dyskinesia after a nine month naturalistic randomized trial comparing olanzapine with conventional treatment for schizophrenia and related disorders.

Aims Of The Study: To assess the impact of olanzapine versus conventional neuroleptic therapy among subjects with schizophrenia on ratings of tardive dyskinesia (TD).

Method: The naturalistic study was conducted in three psychiatric hospitals in Brazil. Patients had a diagnosis of schizophrenia and related disorders (DSMIV) and with a BPRS score>24.

Haloperidol and clozapine, but not olanzapine, induces oxidative stress in rat brain.

Typical and atypical antipsychotic drugs have been shown to have different clinical and behavioral profiles. Haloperidol (HAL) is a typical neuroleptic that acts primarily as a D2 dopamine receptor antagonist. It has been proposed that reactive oxygen species play a causative role in neurotoxic effects induced by HAL.

[Depressive symptoms and associated factors in an elderly population in southern Brazil].

Objective: To determine the frequency of some depressive symptoms in the elderly, to build up a score of depressive symptoms and to evaluate the association between depressive symptoms and demographic, socioeconomic and behavioral variables.

Methods: A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted in individuals aged 60 and more living in the urban city area of Pelotas, Brazil. The sample was selected in multiple stages based on the city's census tracts.

[Posttraumatic stress disorder: an evidence-based approach].

The interventions used in the clinical management of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) focus on: 1. Prevention of the development of the disorder, after a traumatic event 2. Treatment of the disorder, once it is already established, 3.

Gender differences in the use of alcohol and psychotropics in a Brazilian population.

This cross-sectional, interview-based survey aimed to assess the use of licit substances in terms of gender and sociodemographic factors in the city of Pelotas, southern Brazil. Subjects aged 15 years and over and living in urban areas were eligible and a total of 1277 subjects were interviewed. The prevalence of alcohol consumption was 54.