Aplicação do modelo de acurácia em casos suspeitos de amebíase em uma comunidade rural do nordeste do Estado do Pará, Brasil

Introdução: São poucos e dispersos os estudos sobre prevalência de enteroparasitoses em nosso meio, sendo a maioria deles realizada em amostras de base populacional mal definidas, como usuários de serviços de saúde ou alunos de escolas públicas. Objetivo: Quantificar a prevalência da Entamoeba histolytica em uma população rural do Estado do Pará. Casuística e Método: Estudo coprológico pelo método da hematoxilina férrica em 124 moradores do meio rural de Tailândia, utilizando processo de amostragem aleatória para estabelecer a prevalência, a acurácia, os valores preditivos positivo e negativo, bem como a sensibilidade e especificidade. Resultados: Da amostra populacional, 56,58% pertenciam ao sexo masculino, sendo 60,6% entre as idades de 18 a 43 anos. No estudo da escolaridade, 64,5% tinham até 3 anos de estudo e 63,7% recebiam menos de 1 salário mínimo de remuneração. A prevalência de Entamoeba histolytica atingiu 24,2%. Conclusão: A acurácia, medida de valor global do teste efetuado, mostra que 73,4% dos pacientes foram classificados corretamente. O teste de sensibilidade de 70,0% definiu teste positivo para a infecção e a especificidade de 74,5%.

Mercury toxicity in the Amazon: contrast sensitivity and color discrimination of subjects exposed to mercury

We measured visual performance in achromatic and chromatic spatial tasks of mercury-exposed subjects and compared the results with norms obtained from healthy individuals of similar age. Data were obtained for a group of 28 mercury-exposed subjects, comprising 20 Amazonian gold miners, 2 inhabitants of Amazonian riverside communities, and 6 laboratory technicians, who asked for medical care. Statistical norms were generated by testing healthy control subjects divided into three age groups. The performance of a substantial proportion of the mercury-exposed subjects was below the norms in all of these tasks. Eleven of 20 subjects (55%) performed below the norms in the achromatic contrast sensitivity task. The mercury-exposed subjects also had lower red-green contrast sensitivity deficits at all tested spatial frequencies (9/11 subjects; 81%). Three gold miners and 1 riverine (4/19 subjects, 21%) performed worse than normal subjects making more mistakes in the color arrangement test. Five of 10 subjects tested (50%), comprising 2 gold miners, 2 technicians, and 1 riverine, performed worse than normal in the color discrimination test, having areas of one or more MacAdam ellipse larger than normal subjects and high color discrimination thresholds at least in one color locus. These data indicate that psychophysical assessment can be used to quantify the degree of visual impairment of mercury-exposed subjects. They also suggest that some spatial tests such as the measurement of red-green chromatic contrast are sufficiently sensitive to detect visual dysfunction caused by mercury toxicity.

Comparative neurophysiology of spatial luminance contrast sensitivity

The luminance contrast sensitivity function has been investigated using behavioral and electrophysiological methods in many vertebrate species. Some features are conserved across species as a shape of the function, but other features, such as the contrast sensitivity peak value, spatial frequency contrast sensitivity peak, and visual acuity have changed. Here, we review contrast sensitivity across different classes of vertebrates, with an emphasis on the frequency contrast sensitivity peak and visual acuity. We also correlate the data obtained from the literature to test the power of the association between visual acuity and the spatial frequency of the contrast sensitivity function peak.

Clinical evaluation of postoperative sensitivity using self-etching adhesives containing glutaraldehyde

The present clinical study aimed to assess the postoperative sensitivity (POS) after 48 hours and seven days in occlusal restorations bonded with three different adhesive systems, two of them containing glutaraldehyde. The restorative procedures were performed using the three-step etch-and-rinse Adper SBMP-Plus adhesive (SBMP), the two-step etch-and-rinse Gluma Comfort One Bond + Desensitizer adhesive (GC+D) and the all-in-one self-etching/priming I Bond (IB) adhesive, which also has glutaraldehyde in its formula. All cavities were restored with Filtek Supreme nanoparticle composite resin. After 48 hours and seven days the patients were recalled and the postoperative sensitivity evaluated. The data analyzed by non-parametric Friedman test showed no significant differences in POS among the three tested groups after 48 hours and seven days.

Development and assessment of a latex agglutination test based on recombinant MSP5 to detect antibodies against Anaplasma marginale in cattle

The recombinant protein MSP5 has been established as an important antigen for serological diagnosis of Anaplasma marginale by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). However, due to the high cost of specialized equipment, this technique is not accessible to all laboratories, especially in developing countries in areas where the disease is endemic. The present study describes the standardization of a latex agglutination test (LAT) to detect antibodies against A. marginale based on recombinant MSP5. Compared with indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (iELISA), the relative sensitivity and specificity of the LAT were 95.21% and 91.86% respectively, with an almost perfect agreement between tests (kappa index = 0.863). These results can be considered important for the serological diagnosis of A. marginale, as they indicate that the test represents a rapid and low cost alternative to ELISA.

Effect of serum sample inactivation on the performance of latex agglutination test for paracoccidioidomycosis serodiagnosis

Paracoccidioidomycosis is diagnosed from the direct observation of the causative agent, but serology can facilitate and decrease the time required for diagnosis. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of serum sample inactivation on the performance of the latex agglutination test (LAT) for detecting antibodies against Paracoccidioides brasiliensis. The sensitivity of LAT from inactivated or non-inactivated samples was 73% and 83%, respectively and the LAT selectivity was 79% and 90%, respectively. The LAT evaluated here was no more specific than the double-immunodiffusion assay. We suggest the investigation of other methods for improving the LAT, such as the use of deglycosylated antigen.