To assess the association between indicators of psychosocial stress and central adiposity in adult users of the Unified Health System (SUS) from Southeast of Brazil. This cross-sectional study was conducted with 384 adults (20 to 59 years old) from the city of Alegre, Southeastern Brazil. The simple random sample represented the population using the public health system of the municipality. The prevalence of obesity was based on the Body Mass Index, and central adiposity (dependent variable) was measured by waist circumference in centimeters. The independent variables were the following indicators of psychosocial stress: food and nutrition insecurity (yes/no), serum cortisol (μg/dL), symptoms suggestive of depression using the Beck Depression Inventory-II ≥ 17 (yes/no), and altered blood pressure ≥ 130/85 mmHg (yes/no). Univariate linear regression was performed between central adiposity and each stress indicator, and later the models were adjusted for socioeconomic, health, and lifestyle variables. All analyses were made separately by rural and urban location. The prevalence of weight excess, by the classification of the Body Mass Index ≥ 25.0 kg/m2, was 68.3% and, by waist circumference, 71.5% of individuals presented an increased risk for metabolic complications related to central adiposity. Mean waist circumference scores for the rural and urban population were 89.3 ± 12.7 cm and 92.9 ± 14.7 cm, respectively (p = 0.012). Indicators of stress that were associated with central adiposity were: cortisol in the rural population (β = -0.60; 95% CI = -1.09;-0.11) and altered blood pressure in the urban population (β = 6.66; 95% CI = 2.14;11.18). This occurred both in the raw analysis and in the models adjusted for confounding factors. Central adiposity was inversely associated with cortisol in the rural population and directly associated with higher arterial blood pressure in the urban population, suggesting a local influence on how individuals react to stress.

Leptospirosis is a well-known disease that frequently occurs after floods. At the beginning of May 2024, a catastrophic flood occurred in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, affecting two million people and leading to a state of calamity. Given the State’s high pre-flood leptospirosis rates, the disease became a major concern for decision-makers. This study aimed to estimate the rise in leptospirosis cases after the flood, assess the changes in case patterns before and after the disaster, and document the response of the state health surveillance center to the outbreak. We estimated the increase during the flood period (May to July 2024) by comparing it with the same period in the previous year as baseline. During the first three months of the catastrophic event, 6273 suspected cases of leptospirosis were reported to the surveillance system, and 958 cases were confirmed. The number of confirmed cases during the flood was 10.3-fold higher than the baseline. Spearman’s rank-order correlation coefficient was 0.77 (p-value < 0.0001) for the association of Health Regions regarding the rank in incidence rates of confirmed cases in the flood period and the proportion of the population with households flooded. Thirty deaths (three females) were confirmed, a 6.0-fold rise compared with 2023. The state responders carried out many activities, including epidemiological surveillance and the dissemination of information. Among the challenges faced was the lack of evidence in the literature supporting recommendations for antibiotic chemoprophylaxis for rescue personnel. Another difficulty concerned performing gold-standard laboratory diagnostic tests to confirm the enormous number of suspected cases reported during this catastrophe. Despite implementing many actions to mitigate its impact, leptospirosis remained a major challenge during the event. These findings may provide valuable insights for decision-makers facing similar situations in massive climate disasters.

Jumonji Domain-Containing 1A (JMJD1A) protein promotes demethylation of histones, especially at lysin-9 of di-methylated histone H3 (H3K9me2) or mono-methylated (H3K9me1). Increased levels of H3 histone methylation at lysin-9 (H3K9) is related to tumor suppressor gene silencing. JMJD1A gene target Adrenomeduline (ADM) has shown to promote cell growth and tumorigenesis. JMJD1A and ADM expression, as well as H3K9 methylation level have been related with development risk and prognosis of several tumor types. We aimed to evaluate JMJD1A, ADM, H3K9me1 and H3K9me2expression in paraffin-embedded tissue microarrays from 84 oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma samples through immunohistochemistry analysis. Our results showed that nuclear JMJD1A expression was related to lymph node metastasis risk. In addition, JMJD1A cytoplasmic expression was an independent risk marker for advanced tumor stages. H3K9me1 cytoplasmic expression was associated with reduced disease-specific death risk. Furthermore, high H3K9me2 nuclear expression was associated with worse specific-disease and disease-free survival. Finally, high ADM cytoplasmic expression was an independent marker of lymph node metastasis risk. JMJD1A, H3K9me1/2 and ADM expression may be predictor markers of progression and prognosis in oral and oropharynx cancer patients, as well as putative therapeutic targets.

Oral cancer squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) mainly affects individuals aged between 50 and 70 years who consume tobacco and alcohol. Tobacco smoke contains hundreds of known toxic and carcinogenic molecules, and a few studies have sought to verify the relationship of such trace elements as risk or prognostic factors for head and neck cancer. We obtained 78 samples of tumor tissues from patients with OCSCC, and performed a qualitative elemental characterization using the micro X-Ray Fluorescence technique based on synchrotron radiation. We found the presence of magnesium, phosphorus, sulfur, chlorine, potassium, calcium, chromium, manganese, iron, zinc, cobalt, nickel, copper, arsenic and bromine in OCSCC samples. Magnesium, chlorine, chromium, manganese, nickel, arsenic and bromine are associated with smoking. We observed a significant association between relapse and chlorine and chromium. The presence of chlorine in the samples was an independent protective factor against relapse (OR = 0.105, CI = 0.01–0.63) and for best disease-free survival (HR = 0.194, CI = 0.04–0.87). Reporting for the first time in oral cancer, these results suggest a key relationship between smoking and the presence of certain elements. In addition, chlorine proved to be important in the context of patient prognosis and survival.