Adriana Madeira Álvares da Silva

Introduction: public security professionals are exposed to high levels of stress due to their constant engagement with traumatic events such as violence and threats. This stress can negatively impact their mental and physical health. Objective: this study aimed to assess the levels of perceived stress among public security professionals in Brazil, Espírito Santo State, considering variables such as sex, police force type, and location of operation, in order to identify factors associated with chronic stress. Methods: a cross-sectional observational study was conducted with 1,563 public security personnel, using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-14) to measure stress levels. Data were collected online, and statistical analyses were performed using the chi-squared test to identify associations between the variables. Results: the study found that stress was more prevalent among women (81.8%) than among men (71.4%) and more pronounced among military police officers (76.7%) compared to public safety professionals from other forces (65.2%), such as the fire department, the civil police, the federal highway police, the federal police, and the municipal civil guard. Conclusion: factors such as sex and police force type are significantly associated with perceived stress among public security professionals. These findings highlight the need for psychological support policies and stress management programs to enhance the health and well-being of these professionals.

Introduction: epigenetic alterations in glucocorticoid receptor gene (NR3C1) have been associated with psychosocial stress, however, their potential role in obesity remains unclear. Objective: given the complex interplay between psychosocial stress, HPA axis dysregulation, and obesity, the aim of this study was to investigate the association between overweight status and NR3C1 DNA methylation in adults. Methods: this study was characterized as a cross-sectional analysis. Two hundred and eighty-two Brazilian adults aged between 20 and 59 years were recruited from a public primary health care service. Participants underwent an anthropometric assessment. Venous blood samples were collected and NR3C1 DNA methylation was quantified using pyrosequencing. The association between overweight and NR3C1 DNA methylation was assessed using Mann-Whitney U test, Spearman correlation test and multivariable Poisson regression with robust variance (p<0,05). Results: the overweight group had lower DNA methylation levels than the non-overweight group for both total and CpG site-specific methylation (p <0.05 and p corrected= 0.037). Through factor analysis, two bins of CpGs were extracted, which were intercorrelated. The low methylation in these bins and in the total segment was explained by overweight status, controlled by confounding variables. Conclusion: this is one of the first studies to suggest an involvement between weight accumulation and methylation changes in NR3C1, a complex gene that encodes the glucocorticoid receptor and regulates stress responsiveness.

Introduction: Cerebrovascular diseases are among the leading causes of death in the world and correspond to the first cause of overall mortality in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Objective: To analyze the two-decade temporal trend of the stroke mortality rate in the adult population of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, from 2000 to 2021. Method: This is an ecological time series study, based on secondary data. Data were extracted from the database of the Informatics Department of the Unified Health System - Datasus. Joinpoint regression models were applied to analyze the temporal trend. Results: The stroke mortality rate in adults in Rio Grande do Sul remained stable throughout the period from 2000 to 2021, with the exception of the segment from 2019 to 2021, a period marked by an increase in the mortality rate in the age group of 40 to 69 years. The analyses of both overall mortality and percentage variation maintained a pattern, indicating that women were the group with the highest mortality, especially with advancing age. Conclusion: From 2000 to 2021, the state of Rio Grande do Sul remained stable, with an epidemiological profile predominant in women and in older age groups, especially those over 80 years old.

Contingency analysis is a central concept and method in behavior analysis for understanding how the environment influences human behavior. In the treatment of chemical dependency, this analysis makes it possible to examine the functional relationships between antecedent stimuli, behaviors, and consequences (antecedent-behavior-consequence model) in order to understand and modify behavior. Through contingency analysis, professionals can personalize and adapt interventions according to the individual needs of substance-dependence patients, making it a fundamental tool in the multidisciplinary approach to relapse prevention. The purpose of this article is to conduct analyses of contingencies described in reports of relapse episodes of psychoactive substance use by individuals diagnosed with alcohol dependence and cocaine dependence, formally married, throughout their spousal behavioral histories. Based on detailed and systematic information about more than one case in comparison, contingency analyses of relapse episodes were conducted. The study sample consisted of four heterosexual couples (total N = 8), with one individual in the couple diagnosed with alcohol or cocaine dependence. The selection was made through the Rehabilitation Program of a Military Police Hospital located in Vitória/ES, Brazil. The analyses revealed common contingencies, including social pressure (from the friends' group with their invitations), negative emotional states (elicited by plans gone wrong, adverse conditions), and physiological dependence (craving, withdrawal syndrome, tolerance, and salience of use). The specificity of the spousal relationship provided the nuance for these contingencies, emphasizing the importance of therapeutic interventions with couples to assist in preventing relapses, including stress management skills, craving coping, conflict resolution, frustration tolerance, and communication.

Introduction: The modern lifestyle, marked by an intense routine and inadequate diet, contributes to the increase in Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), especially obesity, which can be influenced by stress. The relationship between stress, nutritional status and NCDs lacks comprehensive studies, especially when it concerns public security professionals. Objective: To evaluate the abdominal obesity and its association with stress symptoms in military personnel in the metropolitan region of a Brazilian capital. Methods: The study is part of the "SOMA-SI" program, which investigated the health of public security agents in Espírito Santo between April and December 2022. The sample included police officers, firefighters and municipal guards (n=213). Healthy adult military personnel were included and those on leave or under psychiatric treatment were excluded. Among the variables measured were blood pressure measurements, anthropometric assessment and Lipp Stress Symptom Inventory. The Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) v. 25 for Windows® was used for statistical analyses. Chi-square and Mann-Whitney tests were performed at 5% significance, exploring associations between categorical variables and differences in median stress scores. Results: The sample consisted of 216 participants, predominantly men (75.5%) and non-white (63.7%), revealing 61.6% with more than 15 years of work, 81.1% with income above six salaries minimum and 77.3% with completed higher education. Military police officers represented the majority (67.6%), with 72.2% being parents, 57.9% alcohol consumers and 9.3% smokers. The majority had excess body fat (70.8%) and weight (77.3%). Statistical associations were observed between waist perimeter and stress symptoms (p = 0.004). Conclusion: The study revealed an association between abdominal adiposity and stress in military personnel, highlighting the high incidence of stress symptoms and excess weight in the sample. Associations were also identified between blood glucose, blood pressure and demographic factors. However, it highlights the importance of more comprehensive studies to understand the impact of stress on the health of security agents.

Brazil is the world leader in pesticide consumption, and its indiscriminate use puts farmers’ health at risk. The CYP2C9 gene stands out for encoding the CYP2C9 enzyme, which metabolizes several endogenous substrates and specific xenobiotics, especially pesticides. Our goal is to study the risk of pesticide use, espe-cially the herbicide glyphosate, in the development of diseases and the association with two CYP2C9 poly-morphisms, in farmers living in the southern region of Espírito Santo state, Brazil. The allelic frequency of CYP2C9*1, CYP2C9*2 and CYP2C9*3 was determined in blood samples from individuals exposed or not to pesticides using real-time PCR. 304 blood samples were analyzed, dividing CYP2C9 genotypes into three metabolization classes: normal, intermediate, and slow. Our results show that normal metabolizers are more vulnerable to diseases such as blood pressure changes and cardiovascular and kidney problems, while in-termediate metabolizers show an association with attention deficit disorder and miscarriages, suggesting that farmers in the studied region developed symptoms correlated to the CYP2C9 genotype they have. This work is pioneering in associating specific genetic variations and health risks with pesticide exposure, em-phasizing the importance of personalized medicine and stricter regulation of pesticide use for public health and occupational safety.

Our proposal aims to investigate the impact that exposure to cigarette smoke has on the development of lesions in the colorectal mucosa of in vivo model of colorectal carcinogenesis. For that, 24 young male rats were induced to colorectal carcinogenesis and separated into two groups: exposure to cigarette smoke for 20 weeks (DMH+/Tobacco+) and control (DMH+/Tobacco-). In the group (DMH+/Tobacco+), 14.7% dysplasia and 85.29% malignant neoplasms were observed, including tubular adenocarcinoma (73%), carcinoma in situ (17%) and signet-ring cell adenocarcinoma (10%). Mononuclear inflammation and pleomorphisms were mild to moderate. In the control group, there was 7.69% dysplasia, 7.69% tubular adenoma and 84.62% malignant neoplasms, including tubular adenocarcinoma (82%), signet-ring cell adenocarcinoma (9%), carcinoma in situ (5%) and mucinous adenocarcinoma (4%). Mononuclear inflammation and pleomorphisms were moderate to severe. Thus, the experimental model showed that the lesions were predominantly malignant and with histopathological characteristics compatible with human colorectal cancer, including its possible applications for future studies.