RESUMO
To date, there are no studies from El Salvador among people with HIV to inform prevention programs. We conducted a study in El Salvador in 2008 among people with HIV using audio computer-assisted interviews on risk behaviors and access to health care. Blood was tested for syphilis and herpes simplex type 2 (HSV-2). Active syphilis was defined as RPR titer ≥1:8. Genital specimens were tested for other sexually transmitted infections (STI) by PCR. We evaluated factors associated with unprotected sex with last stable partner of HIV-negative or unknown status among those reporting a stable partner. A total of 811 HIV-positive individuals participated: 413 men and 398 women. Prevalence of Chlamydia and gonorrhea was low (≤1%), while prevalence of other STI was high: Mycoplasma genitalium (14%), syphilis (15% seropositivity, active syphilis 3%) and HSV-2 (85%). In multivariate analysis, disclosing HIV status to partner (OR 0.2, 95% CI: 0.1-0.3, p<0.001), participation in HIV support groups (OR 0.3, 95% CI: 0.1-0.8, p=0.01), easy access to condoms (OR 0.4, 95% CI: 0.2-0.9, p=0.04) were protective factors for unprotected sex. Reporting a casual partner in the last 12 months (OR 3.6, 95% CI: 1.5-8.5, p=0.004). and having an STI (OR 2.6, 95% CI:1.3-5.5, p=0.02) were associated with an increased odds of unprotected sex. Prevention interventions among HIV-positives in El Salvador should focus on increasing condom access, promoting HIV disclosure and couples testing and reducing the number of partners. The positive role of support groups should be used to enhance behavioral change.
RESUMO
Scorpionism in the Americas occurs mainly in Mexico, northern South America and southeast Brazil. This article reviews the local scorpion fauna, available health statistics, and the literature to assess scorpionism in Central America. Notwithstanding its high toxicity in Mexico, most scorpion sting cases in Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica are produced by species in the genus Centruroides that are only mildly toxic to humans despite the existence of ion channel-active toxins in their venoms. Regional morbidity is low with the exception of Panama, where an incidence of 52 cases per 100,000 inhabitants was recorded for 2007, with 28 deaths from 1998 to 2006. Taxa belonging to the genus Tityus (also present in the Atlantic coast of Costa Rica) are responsible for fatalities in Panama, with Tityus pachyurus being the most important species medically. Most Tityus species inhabiting Panama are also found in northern South America from which they probably migrated upon closure of the Panamanian isthmus in the Miocene era. Incorporation of Panama as part of the northern South American endemic area of scorpionism is thereby suggested based on the incidence of these accidents and the geographical distribution of Panamanian Tityus species.(AU)
Assuntos
Animais , Escorpiões , Estatísticas de Saúde , Fauna , Distribuição AnimalRESUMO
Scorpionism in the Americas occurs mainly in Mexico, northern South America and southeast Brazil. This article reviews the local scorpion fauna, available health statistics, and the literature to assess scorpionism in Central America. Notwithstanding its high toxicity in Mexico, most scorpion sting cases in Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica are produced by species in the genus Centruroides that are only mildly toxic to humans despite the existence of ion channel-active toxins in their venoms. Regional morbidity is low with the exception of Panama, where an incidence of 52 cases per 100,000 inhabitants was recorded for 2007, with 28 deaths from 1998 to 2006. Taxa belonging to the genus Tityus (also present in the Atlantic coast of Costa Rica) are responsible for fatalities in Panama, with Tityus pachyurus being the most important species medically. Most Tityus species inhabiting Panama are also found in northern South America from which they probably migrated upon closure of the Panamanian isthmus in the Miocene era. Incorporation of Panama as part of the northern South American endemic area of scorpionism is thereby suggested based on the incidence of these accidents and the geographical distribution of Panamanian Tityus species.(AU)
Assuntos
Animais , Escorpiões/classificação , Escorpiões/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Comportamento AlimentarRESUMO
BACKGROUND: The first cases of multiple sclerosis (MS) in Panama were notified in the 1980s and it was considered a low-risk region for this disease. Between 2000 and 2005, a prevalence study was conducted to characterize MS in Panama. METHODS: An instrument was developed to gather information from clinical files and interviews with previous informed consent. The diagnosis was confirmed by neurologists applying the Poser and McDonald criteria as per the inclusion period. RESULTS: 178 patients from the public and private health sectors were captured between 1970 and 2005. The prevalence rate was 5.24/100,000 inhabitants, and the incidence was between 0.28 and 0.61/100,000 inhabitants. The disease was predominant among women, the mean age +/- SD being 34.76 +/- 10.909 years (1st crisis), and the average number of crises was 2.88. The most common clinical findings were motor, optic neuritis, sensitive and cerebellous. 52.4% presented monosymptomatic manifestations, 71.6% were clinically defined according to Poser's criteria and 55.6% had MS according to McDonald's criteria. 77.8% had their debut with the relapsing-remitting type and presented an Expanded Disability Status Scale score of 2.7 after the first crisis. CONCLUSION: MS is in Panama a neurological pathology with a low prevalence and the results of this investigation improved early treatment and diagnosis of this disease.
Assuntos
Esclerose Múltipla/epidemiologia , Adolescente , Adulto , Idade de Início , Idoso , Feminino , Humanos , Incidência , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Transtornos dos Movimentos/epidemiologia , Transtornos dos Movimentos/etiologia , Esclerose Múltipla/complicações , Esclerose Múltipla Recidivante-Remitente/complicações , Esclerose Múltipla Recidivante-Remitente/epidemiologia , Testes Neuropsicológicos , Neurite Óptica/epidemiologia , Neurite Óptica/etiologia , Panamá/epidemiologia , Prevalência , Índice de Gravidade de Doença , Fatores Sexuais , Adulto JovemRESUMO
The pulmonary surfactant is a lipoproteic complex that serves to lower surface tension at the air-liquid interface in the pulmonary alveoli. Approximately 2 to 4% of the pulmonary surfactant is constituted by the protein A (SP-A). The objective of the study was to determine the effects that maternal protein calorie malnutrition has on the fetal pulmonary growth and the production of SP-A messenger RNA in fetal rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Pregnant Sprague Dawley rats were divided into two groups, which received a diet with either 8% or 21% of proteins from gestational day 1 until the day 20. In this last day 11 fetuses were extracted by caesarean section and their lungs were removed to quantify the mRNA of the SP-A. First the mRNA was boosted using the technique of reverse transcriptase and polimerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and then its concentration was determined by means of fluorodensitometry. RESULTS: There was a reduction in body weight and in wet lung weights of malnourished fetuses in comparison with the normal fetuses (5.03 +/- 0.20 g vs. 4.32 +/- 0.32 g, p < 0.05 and 79.0 +/- 3.8 mg vs. 146.0 +/- 3.4 mg, p < 0.05, respectively). The densitometric analysis of the SP-A mRNA concentration demonstrated a reduction of 32% in the malnourished fetuses (0.52 +/- 0.11 vs. 0.77 +/- 0.07, p < 0.05) compared with the normal fetuses. CONCLUSIONS: The maternal protein calorie malnutrition affected the pulmonary development and the synthesis of the SP-A mRNA. These data suggest that a defect occurrs at pre-transcriptional level that results in a diminution of the concentration of mRNA of SP-A in the neumocytes type II
Assuntos
Animais , Feminino , Gravidez , Ratos , Complicações na Gravidez , Desnutrição Proteico-Calórica , Proteína A Associada a Surfactante Pulmonar/genética , Pulmão/embriologia , RNA Mensageiro/análise , Surfactantes Pulmonares/química , Ratos Sprague-DawleyRESUMO
UNLABELLED: The pulmonary surfactant is a lipoproteic complex that serves to lower surface tension at the air-liquid interface in the pulmonary alveoli. Approximately 2 to 4% of the pulmonary surfactant is constituted by the protein A (SP-A). The objective of the study was to determine the effects that maternal protein calorie malnutrition has on the fetal pulmonary growth and the production of SP-A messenger RNA in fetal rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Pregnant Sprague Dawley rats were divided into two groups, which received a diet with either 8% or 21% of proteins from gestational day 1 until the day 20. In this last day 11 fetuses were extracted by caesarean section and their lungs were removed to quantify the mRNA of the SP-A. First the mRNA was boosted using the technique of reverse transcriptase and polimerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and then its concentration was determined by means of fluorodensitometry. RESULTS: There was a reduction in body weight and in wet lung weights of malnourished fetuses in comparison with the normal fetuses (5.03 +/- 0.20 g vs. 4.32 +/- 0.32 g, p < 0.05 and 79.0 +/- 3.8 mg vs. 146.0 +/- 3.4 mg, p < 0.05, respectively). The densitometric analysis of the SP-A mRNA concentration demonstrated a reduction of 32% in the malnourished fetuses (0.52 +/- 0.11 vs. 0.77 +/- 0.07, p < 0.05) compared with the normal fetuses. CONCLUSIONS: The maternal protein calorie malnutrition affected the pulmonary development and the synthesis of the SP-A mRNA. These data suggest that a defect occurrs at pre-transcriptional level that results in a diminution of the concentration of mRNA of SP-A in the neumocytes type II.
Assuntos
Pulmão/embriologia , Complicações na Gravidez , Desnutrição Proteico-Calórica , Proteína A Associada a Surfactante Pulmonar/genética , Surfactantes Pulmonares/química , RNA Mensageiro/análise , Animais , Feminino , Gravidez , Ratos , Ratos Sprague-DawleyRESUMO
Sequence analysis of Leishmania (Viannia) kDNA minicircles and analysis of multiple sequence alignments of the conserved region (minirepeats) of five distinct minicircles from L. (V.) braziliensis species with corresponding sequences derived from other dermotropic leishmanias indicated the presence of a sub-genus specific sequence. An oligonucleotide bearing this sequence was designed and used as a molecular probe, being able to recognize solely the sub-genus Viannia species in hybridization experiments. A dendrogram reflecting the homologies among the minirepeat sequences was constructed. Sequence clustering was obtained corresponding to the traditional classification based on similarity of biochemical, biological and parasitological characteristics of these Leishmania species, distinguishing the Old World dermotropic leishmanias, the New World dermotropic leishmanias of the sub-genus Leishmania and of the sub-genus Viannia.
Assuntos
DNA de Cinetoplasto/análise , Leishmania/isolamento & purificação , Oligonucleotídeos , Animais , Sequência de Bases , DNA de Cinetoplasto/isolamento & purificação , Hibridização Genética , Leishmania/genética , Leishmania braziliensis/genética , Leishmania braziliensis/isolamento & purificação , Leishmania guyanensis/genética , Leishmania guyanensis/isolamento & purificação , Dados de Sequência Molecular , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase , Análise de Sequência de DNARESUMO
The purpose of this study is to report the results of the authors' investigation to apply the western blot technique (WB UP-LCS) in the diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection. To do this, the authors separated the proteins of the HIV-1 virus by electrophoresis, based on their molecular weight, in poliacilamide gel with SDS (SDS-PAGE) during 3 hours at 200 volts. Then they electrotransferred these proteins to nitrocellulose paper during four hours at 200 milliamperes, with the aid of external cooling. The nitrocellulose strips were evaluated considering the incubation time (1 and 16 hours), two conjugates (human anti IgG with Peroxidase and human anti IgG Biotin plus Streptatividine with Peroxidase) and two dilutions of the patients' sera (1/50 and 1/100). Based on their results the Authors conclude that, in the first place, the optimal conditions for the test include a dilution of 1/100 of the patients serum, incubation of the serum for 16 hours and the use of the conjugate of anti human IgG with Biotin and Streptavidine with Peroxidase; secondary, that the immunologic reactivity against proteins p24 and gp 160/120 is the most important diagnostic criterion for the confirmation of infection with HIV-1 and that they obtained a diagnostic correlation of 100% at a cost which was 5 to 7 times less than that of the commercial system
Assuntos
Humanos , HIV-1 , Anticorpos Anti-HIV/sangue , Infecções por HIV/diagnóstico , Western Blotting/métodos , Eletroforese em Gel de Poliacrilamida/métodos , Estudo de Avaliação , Fatores de Tempo , Western Blotting/estatística & dados numéricosRESUMO
The purpose of this study is to report the results of the authors' investigation to apply the western blot technique (WB UP-LCS) in the diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection. To do this, the authors separated the proteins of the HIV-1 virus by electrophoresis, based on their molecular weight, in poliacilamide gel with SDS (SDS-PAGE) during 3 hours at 200 volts. Then they electrotransferred these proteins to nitrocellulose paper during four hours at 200 milliamperes, with the aid of external cooling. The nitrocellulose strips were evaluated considering the incubation time (1 and 16 hours), two conjugates (human anti IgG with Peroxidase and human anti IgG Biotin plus Streptatividine with Peroxidase) and two dilutions of the patients' sera (1/50 and 1/100). Based on their results the Authors conclude that, in the first place, the optimal conditions for the test include a dilution of 1/100 of the patients serum, incubation of the serum for 16 hours and the use of the conjugate of anti human IgG with Biotin and Streptavidine with Peroxidase; secondary, that the immunologic reactivity against proteins p24 and gp 160/120 is the most important diagnostic criterion for the confirmation of infection with HIV-1 and that they obtained a diagnostic correlation of 100% at a cost which was 5 to 7 times less than that of the commercial system.
Assuntos
Western Blotting/métodos , Anticorpos Anti-HIV/sangue , Infecções por HIV/diagnóstico , HIV-1 , Western Blotting/estatística & dados numéricos , Eletroforese em Gel de Poliacrilamida/métodos , Estudos de Avaliação como Assunto , Humanos , Fatores de TempoRESUMO
The present study describes the cloning procedure for fragments of kinetoplast DNA minicircles from different Leishmania species and its use for detecting the presence of these parasites. Our methodology was as follow: the DNA of the kinetoplast from Leishmania mexicana amazonensis and Leishmania braziliensis panamensis was extracted, purified and digested with the enzyme Dra I. These fragments were cloned in the site for Hinc II in the plasmid pKS. E. coli was the bacterial strain used for transforming and amplifying the cloned fragments; the selection was carried out in LB medium supplemented with ampicillin. With the clones suspected to be positives we run a Southern blot and total kDNA, from each Leishmania species, was used as hybridization probe. Finally, the cloned purified fragments were tested as diagnostic probes against kDNA from eleven different species of Leishmania and one of Trypanosoma cruzi parasites. After cloning, transforming, amplifying and selecting, we obtained two probes of fragments of kDNA minicircles: one from L. m. amazonensis and the other from L. b. panamensis. Both probes showed high sensitivity for diagnosing cutaneous Leishmania complexes (Mexicana or Braziliensis); however, we observed a low grade crossreaction between some species belonging to the same complex. It is necessary to continue studies in order to obtain subfragments of these probes with a higher grade of specificity at the level of species and subspecies.