The aim of the present study was to identify smoking and alcohol drinking practices among Universidade Estadual do Ceará employees in the city of Fortaleza. The study used 317 employees as subjects. An interview questionnaire containing personal, socioeconomic, tobacco and alcohol consumption data was applied. The tabulation and analysis were made by Epi-Info 6.0. 157 of the interviewed subjects were male and 160 were female, the most prevalent age bracket being 30-49 years of age, and high level of instruction. 146 workers showed a family income starting from 10 minimal living wages per month. 83 workers were considered smokers, and a higher prevalence was detected among males (56). Mean tobacco consumption was 12.3 cigarettes a day, a practice that took place in the last 23.2 years. Alcohol was ingested by 183 employees and the prevalence was also higher among males. The consumption occurred mainly on weekends or rarely. The most ingested drink was beer - 96, followed by Brazilian white rum - 20 employees. The mean daily consumption of ethanol was 29.9 g. The ones who were both smokers and drinkers were mainly males. The instruction and income level were higher among smoking females and the income level was higher among drinking females. Although the prevalence of tobacco and alcohol consumption was low, it is a risk of chronicdegenerative diseases, specially in relation to the ethanol ingested by males. It is necessary to continue this study to provide a deeper association among the different environmental variables.

Keywords: Smoking. Alcoholism. Employees. Universities.

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is a worldwide concern but its magnitude in the state of Ceará - Northeastern Brazil has been so far unknown. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of MDR-TB among us as well as the sesceptibility of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to antituberculosis drugs. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted using 1,500 susceptibility tests (ST) for rifampin (RFM), isoniazid (INH), streptomycin (SM), pyrazinamide (PYZ), ethambutol (ETM) and ethionamide (ETH) that were performed at the Central Laboratory of the State of Ceará (LACEN) between 1990 and 1999. The proportion method test was used. Results: Of the 1,500 stains studied, 404 (27%) were resistant to at least one drug, including both primary and acquired resistance. MDR-TB, defined as resistance to at least rifampin and isoniazid was observed in 266 (17.7%) patients. During the study period, there were 41,073 TB cases and MDR-TB prevalence was 0.65% in our state. Among the patients studied, 62.3% were men and mean age was 40.17 ± 14.62. Overall prevalence for single-drug resistance was 8.1% (INH = 5.7%; SM = 1.5%; and RFP = 0.9%). Resistance to 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 drugs was, respectively, 10.8%; 3.1%; 0.9%; 1.5%; and 2.9%. HIV testing was performed in all inpatients and some outpatients (total of 86 patients) and revealed that they were all HIV negative. The probability of 5-year survival (138 patients assessed) was greater in the MDR-TB group treated with alternative drugs, including the patients of the failure group. Conclusion: The MDR-TB prevalence rate found in this study is intermediate in comparison with those reported in Brazil and the other parts of the world. Preventive approaches, early diagnosis and the development of effective, safe and relatively inexpensive new drugs should be stimulated.

Keywords: Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. Prevalence. Survival probability.

Coccidioidomycosis, a fungal illness acquired by the inhalation of arthroconidia of Coccidioides sp., was first described in 1894. Coccidioidomycosis is mainly restricted to areas with arid climate, alkaline soil and low rainfall. Consequently, most of the reported cases in Brazil have occurred in the northeastern region. We report three cases of pulmonary coccidioidomycosis occurring between 2005 and 2006 in an endemic area in the state of Ceará, Brazil. The three patients were immunocompetent adult males, hunters of armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus), with complaints of cough, fever, dyspnea and pleuritic pain. All three patients presented pulmonary involvement, and one also presented cutaneous lesions. Chest X-rays and CT scans of the patients revealed characteristic coccidioidomycosis lesions. The diagnosis was confirmed by serological testing. All of the patients evolved to cure after antifungal treatment.

Keywords: Coccidioidomycosis; Lung diseases, fungal; Coccidioides.

Background: Surveys of patients diagnosed with mycobacteriosis, taken at the Laboratory of Mycobacteriology of the Hospital das Clínicas da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, have shown that lack of information concerning diagnosis prevented 42% from initiating treatment. Objective: To evaluate the profile of patients with mycobacterial infection attending the Hospital das Clínicas da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. To describe the follow up of those patients and compare it to the guidelines made by the National Program for the Control of Tuberculosis. Methods: The files of patients diagnosed with mycobacterium infection during 2002 were selected from the archives of the Laboratory of Mycobacteriology of the Hospital das Clínicas da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. An active search for these patients was carried out and follow-up exams were then performed. Results: Of the 66 patients selected, 62 (94%) were positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis and 4 (6%) had nontuberculous mycobacteriosis. Another 4 (6%) had been transferred to other institutions. Of the remaining 58, 37 (63%) had been cured, 1 (2%) had refused treatment, 9 (16%) were not found and 11 (19%) had died. Of the 11 deaths, 7 (64%) had tested positive for HIV. Conclusion: Patients failed to receive treatment not due to lack of diagnosis, but to inadequate structure, low awareness levels of all parties, and lack of tuberculosis control organization at the hospital level. Due to the high number of HIV-positive patients, the number of patients cured was lower than that required by the National Health Ministry. Deaths were attributed to HIV infection and lack of knowledge about the disease. In order to identify and address the problems associated with clinical laboratory practice, laboratory professionals must work in concert with their clinical counterparts when carrying out operational research on tuberculosis.

Keywords: Tuberculosis/diagnosis. Mycobacterium infections/complications.

Introduction: There have been few Latin American studies investigating the fact that the rate of tuberculosis (TB) infection among medical students is higher than the 1.3% rate seen in the population at large. Objective: To describe the cumulative incidence and the relative risk for TB infection among medical students. Method: In 1998, a prospective cohort study was conducted involving medical students at the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro Faculdade de Medicina who tested negative (induration <10 mm) on the tuberculin skin test (TST). Students were tested using the two-step TST method and were retested one year later. The students tested were at two different stages in their training: pre-clinical (no contact with patients) and final year (contact with patients). Information about demographic characteristics, BCG vaccination history, and instances of potential exposure to Mycobacterium tuberculosis were obtained using a standardized questionnaire. Of the 575 students initially enrolled, 72% (414) completed the study. Results: The TSTs of 16 (3.9%) of the 414 students converted, representing a cumulative incidence of 3.9% (95% confidence interval = 1.06 to 12.1). Senior medical students were at an almost fourfold higher risk for M. tuberculosis infection than were those in pre-clinical training. Conclusion: The risk for TST conversion is very high in this population.

Keywords: PPD. Tuberculosis-infection. Tuberculin conversion. Medical students

Silicosis among pit diggers was first described in 1984. Two years later, a focus of the disease was detected in the region of Ibiapaba, State of Ceará, Brazil. The aims of this study were: 1) to present the educational program to which these workers and their families were submitted; 2) to study, in this population, the impact of the educational program on the knowledge about silicosis and on the behavior changes in the pit digging activity. First, a primary preventing educational intervention (PPEI) was created as per the critical awareness-raising method by Paulo Freire, and applied to this population. Subsequently, the role of PPEI on silicosis control among the pit diggers was studied. In the region there were 1202 pit diggers, and 687 from 5 selected towns were submitted to PPEI. Out of these, 287 workers participated of the second part of the study. All of them were male, ages from 18 to 78 years, 115 were silicotic, 122 non-silicotic, and 46 did not know their health status. Results show that PPEI brought to silicotic and non-silicotic workers a deep knowledge about the relationship between pit digging and silicosis, and induced most of them (85.8%) to quit this activity. PPEI itself promoted an awareness of this population about silicosis, interrupting the epidemiological cycle of the disease in the region of Ibiapaba.

Keywords: Silicosis. Epidemiology. Occupational lung diseases.

Objective: To evaluate patient profiles and factors associated with successful treatment. Methods: A retrospective study of patients enrolled in the smoking cessation program at the Hospital de Messejana, located in the state of Ceará, Brazil, from October of 2002 to April of 2005. The treatment was evaluated based on patient profile, type of medication prescribed and time on that medication. Results: Of the 320 patients enrolled, 65.5% were women. The mean age at the outset of treatment was 48 years, and the mean duration of the smoking habit was 33 years. More than 90% of the patients had started smoking before the age of 20. Of the 258 individuals who had enrolled in the program at least one year prior, 50.8% had achieved treatment success; 17.8% had relapsed, and 31.4% had not quit smoking. On average, partial success was achieved in the fifth week of the treatment, and relapse occurred predominantly in the fourth month. Approximately 60% of the patients were treated with medication. Conclusion: Quitting smoking was significantly associated with the use of medication, regardless of the profile of the smoker evaluated. In the second year of the program, quitting smoking was more strongly associated with the use of bupropion and nicotine replacement, resulting in a higher success rate and a trend toward a reduction in the relapse rate.

Keywords: Smoking/therapy; Tobacco use cessation; Bupropion; Nicotine