ABSTRACT Background: Malaria is a parasitosis conditioned by several factors. This study sought to analyze the spatial distribution of malaria considering environmental, socioeconomic, and political variables in São Félix do Xingu, Pará, Brazil, from 2014 to 2020. Methods: Epidemiological, cartographic, and environmental data were obtained from the Ministry of Health, Brazilian Geographical and Statistical Institute, and National Space Research Institute. Statistical and spatial distribution analyses were performed using chi-squared tests of expected equal proportions and the kernel and bivariate global Moran’s techniques with Bioestat 5.0 and ArcGIS 10.5.1. Results: The highest percentage of cases occurred in adult males with brown skin color, mainly placer miners, with a primary education level, living in rural areas, who were infected with Plasmodium vivax and with parasitemia of two or three crosses as diagnosed by the thick drop/smear test. The disease had a non-homogeneous distribution, with distinct annual parasite indices associated with administrative districts and clusters of cases in locations with deforestation, mining, and pastures close to Conservation Units and Indigenous Lands. Thus, a direct relationship between areas with cases and environmental degradation associated with land use was demonstrated, along with the precarious availability of health services. Pressure on protected areas and epidemiological silence in Indigenous Lands were also noted. Conclusions: Environmental and socioeconomic circuits were identified for development of diseases associated with precarious health services in the municipality. These findings highlight the need to intensify malaria surveillance and contribute to the systematic knowledge of malaria’s epidemiology by considering the complexity of its conditioning factors.

O objetivo do presente trabalho foi avaliar o consumo, por 150 crianças de até 10 anos, de pó para gelatina, preparado sólido para refresco e refrigerante. Foi feita aplicação de questionário de freqüência quantitativa e qualitativa com população infantil atendida no ambulatório de pediatria do Hospital Universitário Gafrée Guinle, Rio de Janeiro. Os dados foram tratados estatisticamente pelo programa SPSS 8.0. Verificou-se que os alimentos pesquisados são ampla e freqüentemente consumidos, sendo introduzidos na dieta, em muitos dos casos, antes da criança completar 1 ano de idade. Sabe-se que os produtos estudados não são adequados nutricionalmente, pois apresentam, além dos corantes, outros aditivos alimentares e não contêm nenhum nutriente importante para o funcionamento do organismo. Em relação aos corantes presentes nos produtos mencionados pela população estudada, constatou-se que os mais informados na rotulagem destes produtos, no item ingredientes, são amarelo crepúsculo, tartrazina e amaranto. Estimando que o teor dos corantes nos alimentos analisados esteja no limite máximo permitido pela legislação, observou-se que a grande maioria das crianças avaliadas pode estar excedendo a ingestão diária aceitável para o corante amaranto e que cerca de 20% da população pode estar excedendo o consumo recomendado para o amarelo crepúsculo. É importante que os valores máximos permitidos de corantes em alimentos, no Brasil, sejam adequados às recomendações realizadas pelo órgão internacional que avalia a segurança dos aditivos, e que ações educativas sejam realizadas.

This study aimed at evaluating the intake of solid jelly powder, solid juice powder and soft drinks by children. The intakes were estimated through the application of a quantitative and qualitative food frequency questionnaire. The study was pursued in the pediatric nutrition ambulatory of Gaffrée Guinle University Hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Data were treated with the SPSS 8.0 software in order to analyze the frequencies and crossing of variables. It was verified that children of different ages consumed variable amounts of artificial colorings through widespread industrialized products, introduced, in many cases, before 1 year of age. The industrialized products mentioned by the surveyed population declared in their labels to contain artificial colorings such as sunset yellow (FD&C Yellow no. 6), tartrazine (FD&C Yellow no. 5) and amaranth (FD&C Red no. 2). The individual contributions of the coloring additives to the daily intake of the subjects were added in order to compare with the maximum levels allowed by the current regulation. It was observed that the great majority of the children evaluated surpassed the daily ingestion permitted for amaranth; 20% of the children surpassed the daily ingestion for sunset yellow. Compliance with the JECFA's recommendations and the Brazilian legislation shall only be attained by promoting educational actions that warn about the risks and stimulate the rational use of these products by consumers.

A técnica de especiação dos metais, que determina a concentração das formas físico-químicas individuais dos elementos que, em conjunto, constituem a concentração total dos mesmos na amostra, possibilita a obtenção de novos dados para prever sua absorção. O termo biodisponibilidade, proposto inicialmente para a área farmacológica, indica a proporção do nutriente que é absorvida e utilizada pelo organismo. Sendo assim, a determinação do teor total do metal ingerido pelo organismo não possibilita traçar um perfil da eficiência de sua absorção. Técnicas de especiação química, como a extração seqüencial, podem auxiliar na avaliação da biodisponibilidade dos minerais. Amostras de ervas medicinais de dois lotes foram analisadas quanto aos teores totais de cobre, ferro e zinco por espectroscopia de absorção atômica na chama, e a extração seqüencial foi aplicada. Os testes F, de Dixon e t-student foram utilizados. Observou-se que, em média, as amostras apresentaram teores totais de cobre, ferro e zinco de respectivamente 1,37 mg%, 5,13 mg% e 2,96 mg%. Ao comparar estes valores com os teores destes metais em alimentos de origem vegetal, verifica-se que as ervas medicinais analisadas podem ser consideradas boas fontes de metais. Observou-se ainda que os metais cobre, ferro e zinco se encontram nas amostras sob no mínimo quatro espécies químicas distintas e que os extratores I e Iv foram os de melhor eficiência. Técnicas de especiação química que possam identificar os compostos obtidos nos diferentes extratores podem auxiliar na avaliação da biodisponibilidade dos mesmos e, conseqüentemente, nos processos de absorção.

Speciation of the metals, which determines the concentration of the elements individual physiochemical forms that, together, constitute the total concentration of them in the sample, makes possible the attainment of new data to foresee its absorption. The term bioavailability, considered initially for the pharmacists, indicates the ratio of the nutrient that is absorbed and used by the organism. This way, the determination of the total content of the metal ingested by the organism does not make possible to trace a profile of the efficiency of its absorption. Techniques of chemical speciation, as the sequential extraction, can assist in the evaluation of the bioavailability of minerals. Samples of medicinal grass of two lots were analyzed in relation to the total content of copper, iron and zinc for spectroscopy of atomic absorption in the flame, and the sequential extraction was applied. F, Dixon and t-student tests were used. One observed that, in average, the samples presented copper, iron and zinc total content of respectively 1.37 mg%, 5.13 mg% and 2.96 mg%. When comparing these values with the content of these metals in foods of vegetal origin, it can be verified that the analyzed medicinal grass can be considered a good source of metals. It was still observed that the metals have copper, iron and zinc can be found in the samples under at least four distinct chemical species and that extractors I and Iv were more efficient. Techniques of chemical speciation that can identify the compounds obtained from different extractors can assist in the evaluation of their bioavailability, as well as in the absorption processes.

O cobre, ferro e zinco, considerados elementos essenciais ao corpo humano, apresentam biodisponibilidade variável em função da forma química que se encontram em um alimento. As ervas medicinais, amplamente utilizadas, podem apresentar novas indicações quanto a suplementação destes metais. Este trabalho tem por objetivo avaliar os teores de cobre, ferro e zinco em ervas medicinais, pós e ervas secas, e promover a extração seqüencial visando a biodisponibilidade. Os teores de cobre, ferro e zinco foram determinados através da espectroscopia de absorção atômica. A extração seqüencial foi aplicada com os extratores cloreto de cálcio 1,0M; ácido acético 0,1M com acetato de amônio 5% (pH=5,0); ácido acético 0,5M e HCl 0,5M. Os resultados apresentaram teores altos de cobre, ferro e zinco, quando comparados com outras fontes alimentícias destes metais, além de indicar que os mesmos se apresentam sob, no mínimo, 4 espécies químicas distintas nas ervas analisadas. O extrator I foi o de melhor eficiência para os três metais. Considerando que o consumo destas ervas é feito com visão farmacológica, acredita-se que uso das mesmas em preparos de alimentos pode favorecer a suplementação dos metais cobre, ferro e zinco.

Copper, iron and zinc, considered essential elements in the human body, present changeable biodisponibility in chemical form more than if found in a food. Medicinal plants, widely used, can present new indications as to how much the suplementation of these metals, aiming at such an objective, can be shown to evaluate the amounts of copper, iron, and zinc in medicinal plants, powder and dry grass, and to promote the extraction sequencial aiming at the biodisponibility. The copper amount, iron and zinc had been determined through the spectroscopy of atomic absorption. The extraction sequencial was applied with the extractors calcium chloride 1,0M; acetic acid 0,1M with ammonium acetate 5% ( pH=5,0 ); acetic acid 0,5M and HCl 0,5M. The results had presented high copper amount, iron and zinc, when compared with other nourishing sources of these metals, besides indicating that the same ones if present under at the very least 4 distinct chemical species in the analyzed grass. The extracting (I) was of better efficiency for the three metals. Considering that the consumption of these grass is made with farmacological action, it is given credit that use of the same ones in foods can be used as fonts of these metals.