Resumo Introdução As causas externas estão entre as principais causas de morte no Brasil, afetando, principalmente, jovens e adultos. Métodos Estudo retrospectivo dos óbitos por causas externas em Diamantina, em Minas Gerais, de 2001 a 2012. Foram utilizados dados de óbitos do Sistema de Informações sobre Mortalidade (SIM) e dados populacionais do Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE). Foram calculados coeficientes trienais de mortalidade padronizados por idade, específicos por sexo, para todos os grupos de causas externas. As tendências foram analisadas por meio de modelos de regressão linear com o programa Stata 13. Resultados As causas externas constituíram a quinta causa de mortes no município, com coeficiente médio de 44,3/100 mil habitantes. Verificou-se maior risco de morte para homens (coeficiente médio=71,5/100 mil). Os acidentes de transporte constituíram a maior causa de óbitos (29,6%), seguidos por outras causas externas (21,5%), pelos homicídios (20,6%) e pelos suicídios (14,6%). A faixa etária de 20 a 29 anos foi a mais afetada, enquanto a faixa de 60 anos ou mais apresentou o maior risco. Verificou-se uma tendência de aumento (p<0,05) na mortalidade geral por causa externas, na mortalidade masculina por acidentes de transporte e na mortalidade feminina por agressões. Conclusão As causas externas constituem um problema crescente de saúde pública em Diamantina, sendo necessária a implementação de medidas que visem ao seu controle e redução.

Aims: This paper aimed to provide a critical review of the evolution of Chagas' disease in Brazil, its magnitude, historical development and management, and challenges for the future. Methods: A literature search was performed using PubMed, SciELO and Google Scholar and throughout collected articles' references. Narrative analysis was However, there are still challenges, such as the domiciliation of new vector species, the need for medical care of the infected individuals, the prevention of alternative mechanisms of transmission, the loss of political concern regarding the disease and, the weakening of the control program. Conclusion: Despite the progress towards control, there are still many challenges ahead to maintain and expand such control and minimise the risk of re-emergence.

There is currently little information concerning the prevalence of zeranol and taleranol in animal urine following metabolism of the naturally occurring Fusarium spp. toxins. An epidemiological study is described which involves four European Union control laboratories in which 8008 urine samples were screened for the presence of zeranol using a time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay (TR-FIA). Of these samples, 93.6% screened negative for zeranol. All samples testing positive for zeranol were then analysed with a confirmatory method. Based on the confirmatory results, the TR-FIA-positive samples were then categorized as false-positive, true-positive or 'equivocal' (zeranol/taleranol and the Fusarium spp. toxins detected). The true-positive samples represented only 0.05% of the total number of samples (n = 4). After statistical analysis, 170 of 174 equivocal samples proved to belong to a 'normal' population in which the amount of zeranol/taleranol could be related to the total amount of Fusarium spp. toxins through a linear regression with a 99% prediction interval. This suggested that the presence of zeranol in these samples might be due to in vivo metabolism of the Fusarium spp. toxins. The presence of zeranol in the four remaining 'outliers' might be attributable to zeranol abuse rather than to natural contamination. The results are of interest for control laboratories as they might provide an analytical tool to help distinguish between abuse and natural contamination in zeranol testing.

Many zeranol immunoassay test kits cross-react with toxins formed by naturally occurring Fusarium spp. fungi, leading to false-positive screening results. This paper describes the evaluation and application of recently published, dry reagent time-resolved fluoroimmunoassays (TR-FIA) for zeranol and the toxin alpha-zearalenol. A ring test of bovine urine fortified with zeranol and/or alpha-zearalenol in four European Union National Reference Laboratories demonstrated that the TR-FIA tests were accurate and robust. The alpha-zearalenol TR-FIA satisfactorily quantified alpha-zearalenol in urine fortified at 10-30 ng ml(-1). The specificity-enhanced zeranol TR-FIA accurately quantified zeranol in the range 2-5 ng ml(-1) and gave no false-positive results in blank urine, even in the presence of 30 ng ml(-1) alpha-zearalenol. Zeranol TR-FIA specificity was demonstrated further by analysing incurred zeranol-free urine samples containing natural Fusarium spp. toxins. The TR-FIA yielded no false-positive results in the presence of up to 22 ng ml(-1) toxins. The performance of four commercially available zeranol immunoassay test kits was more variable. Three kits produced many false-positive results. One kit produced only one potential false-positive using a protocol that was longer than that of the TR-FIA. These TR-FIAs will be valuable tools to develop inspection criteria to distinguish illegal zeranol abuse from contamination arising from in vivo metabolism of Fusarium spp. toxins.