Clinical and epidemiological aspects of scorpion stings in the northeast region of BrazilAspectos clínicos e epidemiológicos dos acidentes escorpiônicos na região do nordeste do Brasil

BackgroundThe present study aims to investigate the clinical-epidemiological characteristics of bee sting cases recorded between 2007 and 2012 in the city of Campina Grande, Paraíba state, Brazil. Data were collected from the database of the Injury Notification Information System of the Brazilian Ministry of Health.ResultsA total of 459 bee sting cases were retrospectively analyzed. The average annual incidence was 19 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Cases were distributed in all months of the year, with higher prevalence in September and February. Most victims were men aged between 20 and 29 years. The highest incidence of cases was recorded in urban areas. Victims were stung mainly on the head and torso and received medical assistance predominantly 1 to 3 hours after being stung. The most frequent clinical manifestations were pain, edema and itching. Most cases were classified as mild, and three deaths were reported.ConclusionsThe high incidence of envenomations provoked by bees in Campina Grande suggests that it may be an important risk area for accidents. Since several medical records lacked information, clinical-epidemiological profile of bee sting cases in the studied region could not be accurately determined.The current study provides relevant data for the development of strategies to promote control and prevention of bee stings in this area. Further training for health professionals seems to be necessary to improve their skills in recording clinical-epidemiological information as well as in treating bee sting victims.

Results: A total of 304 snakebite cases were studied. The cases occurred most frequently from April to June. The genera Bothrops, Crotalus, and Micrurus were responsible for 74.6%, 6.2%, and 1.3% of cases, respectively. Snakebite cases predominated in males living in rural areas and between 10 and 19 years old. The highest incidence of bites occurred on the feet. The majority of the victims received medical assistance within 1 to 3h after being bitten. With regard to severity, 48% of the cases were classifi ed as mild, 26% as moderate, and 2.6% as severe. Successful cures predominated, and no deaths were reported. The average antivenom ampoule dose used for the treatment in some snakebite cases was lower than that recommended by the Health Ministry. Conclusions: Although our results show that Paraíba has a good level of medical care, there are serious defi ciencies in recording snakebite information. These data indicate the need to improve the recording process for snakebite cases. Further training for health professionals seems to be necessary to optimize their skills in treating snakebite victims.

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is responsible for 13% of all vegetable oil produced in the world. These plants’ development depends on the mineral elements that have essential and specific functions in their metabolism. In this sense, visual diagnosis consists of comparing the appearance of a plant that has received all the necessary nutrients with one that has suffered the omission of one or more nutrients. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the absence effects of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sulfur (S) and iron (Fe) elements on the growth of sunflower, BRS-122 cultivar, in order to identify and describe the visual symptoms caused by the absence of such nutrients. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse and consisted in a completely randomized design with three replications and eight treatments using a diagnostic subtraction technique. The symptoms of the deficiencies were observed and evaluated through biometric parameters (plant height, stem diameter, number of leaves, and leaf area) as well as by visual aspects. The absence of N, P, K, Ca and Fe in the nutrient solution severely affected the sunflower plants, preventing their vegetative growth and consequently their development. The negative interference of the Mg omission in sunflower growth was slower than the observed for nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and calcium giving more significant results from 40 days after sowing (DAS). The absence of nutrients gave clear evidence of the distinct effects that the omission of each element can cause on the visual aspects of sunflower plants.

RESUMO:A utilização da irrigação deve ser extremamente criteriosa, uma vez que faz uso de um recurso natural muito importante devido à sua iminente escassez, a água. A seleção de variedades mais responsivas a irrigação possui também um impacto importante no que tange ao aumento de produtividade desde que a cultura esteja bem alocada no ambiente de produção.O experimento foi conduzido na Estação Experimental do Camaratuba (Mamanguape-PB), visando avaliar características agronômicas de duas variedades de cana-de-açúcar, em delineamento experimental em blocos casualizados, com 3 repetições, no esquema fatorial 2x2, sendo os fatores dois manejos de irrigação (regimes hídricos de sequeiro e com irrigação subsuperficial utilizando tubos porosos) e duas cultivares de cana-de-açúcar (RB 92579 e RB 002754) perfazendo assim 12 parcelas experimentais. A irrigação da cana-de-açúcar aumentou significativamente a altura da planta e o diâmetro dos colmos, sendo a variedade RB92579 a que apresentou os melhores resultados. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Tubos poroso, ambiente de produção, variedade RB92579 COMPARATIVE STUDY OF TWO SUGAR CANE VARIETIES CULTIVATED UNDER DIFFERENT HYDRIC REGIMESABSTRACT: The use of irrigation must be extremely judicious, since it makes use of a very important natural resource due to its imminent scarcity: the water. The selection of more responsive varieties to irrigation have also an important impact when it comes to the increase of productivity as long as the culture is well located in its production environment. The experiment was conducted in the Camaratuba Experimental Station located in Mamanguape-PB, in a 2x2 factorial scheme with randomized blocks and three replicates summing 12 experimental plots. The factors were two irrigation management schemes (dry farming and subsurface irrigation using porous tubes) and two sugar cane varieties (RB92579 and 1 Doutor, professor UFCG/CES/UAE.