"Em trajes brasileiros": justiça e constituição na América ibérica (c. 1750-1850)

Situando-se na intersecção entre constitucionalismo e independências, o artigo tem como objetivo discutir a dinâmica institucional da justiça na formação do Império do Brasil como parte de uma compartilhada tradição jurídica em todo o mundo ibero-americano, centrando-se no ciclo de mudanças ocorrido entre meados dos séculos XVIII e XIX. Para tanto, o recorte est�� nas garantias de justiça que, existentes na cultura do ius commune, seriam centrais aos novos estados independentes na América por meio da estatização de elementos que previam o funcionamento de uma antiga chave: a de que a "boa administração da justiça" dependia do "bom juiz", e do seu reto comportamento, e não das leis e de sua devida aplicação. A partir da prevalência de uma justiça de juízes, conclui-se que, sem códigos, no sentido moderno, foi impossível se implantar um regime de justiça de leis.

O PRIMEIRO SACRAMENTO – BATISMOS DE ESCRAVOS EM IGUAPE (1811-1850)

Com base em registros de batismo de crianças escravas e nas listas nominativas de habitantes, estudamos diversas características desse primeiro sacramento católico. A partir do cruzamento nominativo dessas fontes, nossa atenção está nos batismos, nos infantes batizados, em seus pais, padrinhos e proprietários, tomados sobre o pano de fundo do dinamismo da rizicultura em Iguape, São Paulo, no Vale do Ribeira.

Sobre o encontro de Cavernícola pilosa Barber, 1937, no Estado do Paraná, Brasil

Relata-se o encontro de Cavernicola pilosa entre gravetos existentes no terraço de um domicílio habitado, distrito de Paiquerê, município de Londrina, Estado do Paraná. Apresenta-se também a distribuição geográfica atual deste triatomíneo.

Efeito de concentrações subinibit��rias de penicilina sobre ant��genos de estreptococos do grupo G

O efeito de concentrações subinibit��rias de penicilina sobre a produção do ant��geno grupo-específico e da hialuronidase extracelular foi avaliado em uma amostra de estreptococo pertencente ao grupo G de Lancefield. Em todas as concentrações uma maior quantidade de ant��geno grupo-específico foi extraída das células e a atividade específica de hialuronidase se mostrou aumentada em at�� 1400% nos sobrenadantes das culturas. O maior aumento na expressão de ambos os ant��genos foi observado em 1/2 da CMI.

Quimiotipagem do Cryptococcus neoformans. Revisão da literatura. Novos dados epidemiológicos sobre a criptococose. Nossa experiência com o emprego do meio de C.G.B. no estudo daquela levedura

O presente trabalho, além da revisão da literatura sobre quimiotipagem do C. neoformans, com novos dados sobre a epidemiologia da criptococose, teve por finalidade principal a caracterização das duas variedades desta levedura em pacientes com neurocriptococose, HIV + e HIV -. As variedades neoformans e gattii est��o hoje bem definidas bioquimicamente, com o emprego do meio C.G.B., proposto por KWON-CHUNG et al. (1982) 24. O isolamento do C. neoformans var. gattii das flores e folhas do Eucalyptus camaldulensis e do Eucalyptus tereticornis, na Austrália, através dos trabalhos de ELLIS & PFEIFFER (1990)16 e PFEIFFER & ELLIS (1992)41, possibilitou investigações epidemiológicas das mais interessantes sobre este microrganismo, levedura capsulada a qual SANFELICE50, 51, na It��lia, em 1894 e 1895 despertou a atenção do meio médico. BUSSE8, em 1894, descrevia o primeiro caso de criptococose humana sob a forma de lesão óssea, simulando sarcoma. As pesquisas nacionais sobre o assunto em foco foram destacadas, seguindo-se a experiência dos Autores com o meio de C.G.B. (L - canavanina, glicina e azul de bromotimol). Foi possível, através deste meio o estudo de 50 amostras de líquor, sendo 39 procedentes de aidéticos (78%) e 11 de não aidéticos (22%). De pacientes HIV+, 37 (74%) foram identificados como C. neoformans var. neoformans e 2 (4%) como C. neoformans var. gattii. Dos HIV- 8 ( 16%) foram classificados como C. neoformans var. neoformans e 3 (6%) como C. neoformans var. gattii. Através deste trabalho, evidencia-se a import��ncia da neurocriptococose, principalmente entre os aidéticos, demonstrando-se mais uma vez o interesse do meio CGB na quimiotipagem do C. neoformans em suas duas variedades, ganhando em import��ncia a demonstração de que duas espécies de eucalipto podem funcionar como "árvores-hospedeiras" para o Cryptococcus neoformans var. gattii.

Hepatitis G virus / GB virus C in Brazil. Preliminary report

Hepatitis G virus/ GB virus C is a novel flavivirus recently detected in hepatitis non A-E cases. In this study, the presence of this virus in chronic non-B, non-C hepatitis patients was evaluated using GBV-C specific PCR and this virus was detected in one out of thirteen patients. This patient has presented a severe liver failure, has lived for a long time in the Western Amazon basin and no other cause for this clinical picture was reported. The impact of the discovery of this new agent is still under evaluation throughout the world. The study of the prevalence of this virus among chronic hepatitis patients and healthy individuals (as blood donors) will furnish subside to evaluate its real pathogenicity.

GB virus C/Hepatitis G virus and other putative hepatitis non A-E viruses

The identification of the major agents causing human hepatitis (Hepatitis A, B, C, D and E Viruses) was achieved during the last 30 years. These viruses are responsible for the vast majority of human viral hepatitis cases, but there are still some cases epidemiologically related to infectious agents without any evidence of infection with known virus, designated as hepatitis non A - E. Those cases are considered to be associated with at least three different viruses: 1 - Hepatitis B Virus mutants expressing its surface antigen (HBsAg) with altered epitopes or in low quantities; 2 - Another virus probably associated with enteral transmitted non A-E hepatitis, called Hepatitis F Virus. Still more studies are necessary to better characterize this agent; 3 - Hepatitis G Virus or GB virus C, recently identified throughout the world (including Brazil) as a Flavivirus responsible for about 10% of parenteral transmitted hepatitis non A-E. Probably still other unknown viruses are responsible for human hepatitis cases without evidence of infection by any of these viruses, that could be called as non A-G hepatitis.

Presence of Circulating Levels of Interferon-g, Interleukin-10 and Tumor Necrosis Factor-a in Patients with Visceral Leishmaniasis

Experimental murine L. major infection is characterized by the expansion of distinct CD4+ T cell subsets. The Th1 response is related to production of IFN-T FACE="Symbol">g</font> and resolution of infection, whereas Th-2 response with production of IL-4 and IL-10 and dissemination of infection. The objective of this study was to measure the circulating levels of IFN-T FACE="Symbol">g</font>, IL-10 and TNF-T FACE="Symbol">at> in patients with visceral leishmaniasis (VL) before, during and at the end of therapy and to examine the association between cytokine levels and activity of VL. Fifteen patients with VL were evaluated. The cytokine determinations were done by using the enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) before, during and at the end of therapy. At baseline, we detected circulating levels of IFN-T FACE="Symbol">g</font> in 13 of 15 patients (median = 60 pg/ml); IL-10 in 14 of 15 patients (median = 141.4 pg/ml); and TNF-T FACE="Symbol">at> in 13 of 14 patients (median = 38.9 pg/ml). As patients improved, following antimonial therapy, circulating levels of IL-10 showed an exponential decay (y = 82.34 e–0,10367x, r = –0.659; p &lt; 0.001). IFN-T FACE="Symbol">g</font> was no longer detected after 7/14 days of therapy. On the other hand, circulating levels of TNF-T FACE="Symbol">at> had a less pronounced decay with time on therapy, remaining detectable in most patients during the first seven days of therapy (y = 36.99-0.933x, r = –0.31; p = 0.05). Part of the expression of a successful response to therapy may, therefore, include reduction in secretion of inflammatory as well as suppressive cytokines. Since IL-10 and IFN-T FACE="Symbol">g</font> are both detected prior to therapy, the recognized cellular immune depression seen in these patients may be due to biological predominance of IL-10 (type 2 cytokine), rather than lack of IFN-T FACE="Symbol">g t>(type 1 cytokine) production.

IL-2 AND IFN-g, BUT NOT IL-4 SECRETION BY PERIPHERAL BLOOD MONONUCLEAR CELLS (PBMC) ARE RELATED TO CD4+ T CELLS AND CLINICAL STATUS IN BRAZILIAN HIV-1-INFECTED SUBJECTS

It has been reported that production of IL-2 and IFN-T FACE="Symbol">g</FONT>, known as T-helper type 1 cytokines, by peripheral mononuclear cells (PBMC) decreases with progression of HIV infection. In contrast, IL-4 and IL-10 production, Th2 cytokine profile, increases with HIV disease progression. PBMC were evaluated from 55 HIV-infected subjects from Divisão de Imunologia, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, to "in vitro" cytokines production after 24 hours of stimulation with PHA. Low levels of IL-4 production in both HIV- infected patients and normal subjects, were detected. The patients with CD4+ T cell counts &lt;200 showed a significant decrease of IL-2 and IFN-T FACE="Symbol">g</FONT> production compared to controls. Patients with higher counts of CD4+ T cells (either between 200-500 or &gt;500 cells/mm3) also showed decreased production of IL-2 that was not statistically significant. There was a correlation between IL-2 and IFN-T FACE="Symbol">g</FONT> release with CD4+ T cells counts. HIV-1-infected individuals with CD4+ T cells &gt;500 cells/mm3 showed increased levels of IL-2 and IFN-T FACE="Symbol">g</FONT>, than individuals with CD4+ T cells &lt;500 cells/mm3. In conclusion, we observed a decline of IL-2 and IFN-T FACE="Symbol">g</FONT> production at advanced HIV disease. IL-4 production was not affected during HIV infection. Taken together, these findings suggest that the cytokine profile might be influenced by the HIV infection rather than the cause of disease progression.

Liver histology in co-infection of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and Hepatitis G virus (HGV)

As little is known about liver histology in the co-infection of hepatitis C virus (HCV) and hepatitis G virus (HGV), HGV RNA was investigated in 46 blood donors with hepatitis C, 22 of them with liver biopsy: co-infection HCV / HGV (n = 6) and HCV isolated infection (n = 16). Besides staging and grading of inflammation at portal, peri-portal and lobular areas (Brazilian Consensus), the fibrosis progression index was also calculated. All patients had no symptoms or signs of liver disease and prevalence of HGV / HCV co-infection was 15.2%. Most patients had mild liver disease and fibrosis progression index, calculated only in patients with known duration of infection, was 0.110 for co-infection and 0.130 for isolated HCV infection, characterizing these patients as "slow fibrosers". No statistical differences could be found between the groups, although a lesser degree of inflammation was always present in co-infection. In conclusion co-infection HCV / HGV does not induce a more aggressive liver disease, supporting the hypothesis that HGV is not pathogenic.