Molecular characterization of Mycobacterium kansasii isolates in the State of São Paulo between 1995-1998

Mycobacterium kansasii is the most common cause of pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacteria infection and classical identification of this pathogen needs a time consuming phenotypic tests. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment lenght polymorphism analysis (PRA) of the gene enconding for the 65kDa heat shock (hsp65) protein offers an easy, rapid, and inexpensive procedure to identify and subtype M. kansasii isolates. In the present study, we performed a retrospective analysis of patients who had mycobacteria identified on the basis of phenotypic tests by means of a review of database at Mycobacteria Laboratory of the Instituto Adolfo Lutz in the period 1995-1998. A total of 9381 clinical isolates were analyzed of which 7777 (82.9%) were identified as M. tuberculosis complex and 1604 (17.1%) as nontuberculous mycobacteria. Of the 296 M. kansasii isolates, 189 (63.8%) isolates obtained from 119 patients were viable and were analyzed by PRA-hsp65. Hundred eight two (98.9%) were classified as M. kansasii type I. Two isolates were classified as type II and III and five isolates were characterized as other Mycobacterium species. Clinical isolates of M. kansasii in the state of São Paulo was almost exclusively subtype I regardless of HIV status.

Therapeutic failure of praziquantel in the treatment of Schistosoma haematobium infection in Brazilians returning from Africa

Several cases of therapeutic failure of praziquantel used for the treatment of urinary schistosomiasis have been reported. Alternative drugs, like niridazol and metrifonate, have shown a lower therapeutic effect and more side effects than praziquantel. Twenty-six Brazilian military men (median age of 29 years) with a positive urine parasitological exam who were part of a United Nation peace mission in Mozambique in 1994 were treated with 40 mg/kg body weight praziquantel, single dose. They swimmed in Licungo river (Mocuba city, Mozambique) during the weekends. After this, they presented haematuria, dysuria, polakiuria, and lumbar pain. Control cystoscopy examinations carried out between 6 and 24 months after each treatment (including two additional treatments at a minimum interval of 6 months) revealed the presence of viable eggs. Granulomas in the vesical submucosa were observed in 46.2% (12/26) of the individuals. A vesical biopsy confirmed the presence of granulomas in all of these patients and the presence of viable eggs in 34.3% (9/26) of individuals who no longer excreted eggs in urine. The eggs filled with miracidia showed characteristics of viability. Histopathological examination using different strains demonstrated therapeutic failure and the need for repeated treatment. In this study, we demonstrated a low efficacy of praziquantel in the treatment of schistosomiasis haematobia, and the necessity of the urinary bladder biopsy as criterion of cure.

Clinical-epidemiological profile of children with schistosomal myeloradiculopathy attended at the Instituto Materno-Infantil de Pernambuco

The most critical phase of exposure to schistosomal infection is the infancy, because of the more frequent contact with contaminated water and the immaturity of the immune system. One of the most severe presentations of this parasitosis is the involvement of the spinal cord, which prognosis is largely dependent on early diagnosis and treatment. Reports on this clinical form of schistosomiasis in children are rare in the literature. We present here the clinical-epidemiological profile of schistosomal myeloradiculopathy (SMR) from ten children who were admitted at the Instituto Materno-Infantil de Pernambuco over a five-year period. They were evaluated according to an investigation protocol. Most of these patients presented an acute neurological picture which included as the main clinical manifestations: sphincteral disorders, low back and lower limbs pain, paresthesia, lower limbs muscle weakness and absence of deep tendon reflex, and impairment of the gait. The diagnosis was presumptive in the majority of the cases. This study emphasizes the importance of considering the diagnosis of SMR in pediatric patients coming from endemic areas who present a low cord syndrome, in order to start the appropriate therapy and avoid future complications.

Phlebotomine fauna (Diptera: Psychodidae) and species abundance in an endemic area of American cutaneous leishmaniasis in southeastern Minas Gerais, Brazil

This study was undertaken to identify the phlebotomine fauna and species abundance in domiciliary and peridomiciliary (hen-house and guava-tree) environments, on a lake shore, a cultivated area of coffee and banana, and a forested area of Conceição da Aparecida municipality, southeastern the state of Minas Gerais, to provide information for the control and epidemiological surveillance of leishmaniasis in this area. The captures were carried out monthly between May 2001 and November 2002, with automatic light and Shannon traps. A total of 1444 sand flies were captured, 951 (76.5%) with automatic light traps and 493 (23.5%) with the Shannon trap. Thirteen species were captured, the most frequent being Nyssomyia whitmani (62.7%), Migonemyia migonei (21.4%), Pintomyia fischeri (6.9%), and Evandromyia lenti (3.6%). Species abundance was determined using the automatic light traps installed in the six environments. The most abundant species according to the standardized index of species abundance were Ny. whitmani (1.0) and Mg. migonei (0.82). In view of the dominance of these two species, known vectors of cutaneous leishmaniasis in other Brazilian areas, their participation in the transmission of the disease in this county is suggested. The diversity and evenness indexes in the domicile were the lowest due to the high frequency (83%) of Ny. whitmani. The capture of Lutzomyia longipalpis, rarely recorded in the south-eastern and southern regions of Minas Gerais, is also noteworthy.

Frequency and types of human papillomavirus among pregnant and non-pregnant women with human immunodeficiency virus infection in Recife determined by genotyping

Women with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection present a higher risk of infection by the human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer. To determine HPV genotypes and frequencies among HIV-positive women, an analytical cross-sectional study was carried out on 147 women (51 were pregnant and HIV-positive, 45 pregnant and HIV-negative and 51 HIV-positive and not pregnant), who were attended at a maternity hospital in Recife between April 2006-May 2007. They answered a questionnaire and underwent a gynaecological examination, with samples collected for HPV investigation by PCR, hybrid capture II, oncotic colpocytology (Papanicolau) and colposcopy. The frequency of HPV DNA was 85.3% (122/143), with a high proportion of HPV types that have been identified as high risk for cervical cancer. Among HIV-positive pregnant women, there was an HPV prevalence of 96% (48/50), of whom 60.4% (29/48) were high-risk. HPV 16, 58, 18, 66 and 31 were the most frequent types. Colpocytological abnormalities were observed in 35.3% (18/51) of HIV-positive non-pregnant women, 21.6% (11/51) of HIV-positive pregnant women and 13.3% (6/45) of HIV-negative pregnant women with a predominance of low-level lesions. A high prevalence of HPV infection was identified, especially with the high-risk types 16, 58, 18 and 66. This study identified high-risk HPV types in all three groups examined (HIV-positive pregnant women, HIV-negative pregnant women and HIV-positive not pregnant), characterising its distribution in this setting.

Clinical-epidemiologic profile of the schistosomal myeloradiculopathy in Pernambuco, Brazil

This was a retrospective descriptive study on a series of cases of schistosomal myeloradiculopathy (SMR) and the aim was to investigate the incidence of this disease and its clinical and epidemiological characteristics in cases diagnosed at three healthcare units in Pernambuco, Brazil between 1994-2006. The data were collected by reviewing the medical records from both the neurological and paediatric outpatient clinics and wards of the Hospital Clinics, Hospital of the Restoration and Pernambuco Mother and Child Institute. To gather the data, a spinal cord schistosomiasis evaluation protocol was used. The diagnoses were based on positive epidemiological evidence of schistosomiasis, clinical findings and laboratory tests (stool parasitological examination or rectal biopsies, magnetic resonance imaging findings and cerebrospinal fluid investigations). A total of 139 cases aged between 2-83 years were found. The most important determinants of SMR were male sex (66.2%), contact with fresh water (91%), origin in endemic regions (39.5%), lower-limb muscle weakness (100%), sensory level at the lower thoracic medulla (40.3%), myeloradicular form (76%) and presence of eggs in the stool parasitological examination (48%). This sample indicates the need for intervention policies guided by diagnostic standardization, thereby avoiding disease under-notification.

Biotic factors and occurrence of Lutzomyia longipalpis in endemic area of visceral leishmaniasis, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

The relationships between environmental exposure to risk agents and health conditions have been studied with the aid of remote sensing imagery, a tool particularly useful in the study of vegetation cover. This study aims to evaluate the influence of environmental variables on the spatial distribution of the abundance of Lutzomyia longipalpis and the reported canine and human visceral leishmaniasis (VL) cases at an urban area of Campo Grande, state of Mato Grosso do Sul. The sandfly captures were performed in 13 residences that were selected by raffle considering four residences or collection station for buffer. These buffers were generated from the central house with about 50, 100 and 200 m from it in an endemic area of VL. The abundance of sandflies and human and canine cases were georreferenced using the GIS software PCI Geomatica. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and percentage of land covered by vegetation were the environmental variables extracted from a remote sensing IKONOS-2 image. The average NDVI was considered as the complexity of habitat and the standard deviation as the heterogeneity of habitat. One thousand three hundred sixty-seven specimens were collected during the catch. We found a significant positive linear correlation between the abundance of sandflies and the percentage of vegetation cover and average NDVI. However, there was no significant association between habitat heterogeneity and the abundance of these flies.

Cytokines and visceral leishmaniasis: a comparison of plasma cytokine profiles between the clinical forms of visceral leishmaniasis

It is not well established whether cytokine production differs in response to different clinical forms of visceral leishmaniasis (VL). In this work, we performed a cross-sectional study to investigate the plasma levels of cytokines [interferon (IFN)-γ, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, IL-10 and IL-12] involved in the pathogenesis of VL in 80 subjects from VL endemic areas, including subjects with active VL, subjects with asymptomatic infection, subjects with cured VL and uninfected controls. The patients were recruited by sampling from a referral hospital and by random selection from a population-based cohort study. The results showed significant differences in the plasma concentration of all cytokines between the groups (p < 0.05). Patients with the active disease had higher plasma levels of IL-10, IL-4, INF-γ and TNF-α relative to the other groups and they produced more IL-12 than asymptomatic and cured subjects. Only the IL-2 concentration was higher in the asymptomatic and cured subjects relative to the patients with active disease (p < 0.05). Our results suggest that these cytokines can be used as markers in epidemiological studies conducted in endemic areas to distinguish between different clinical forms of VL. However, their usefulness should be confirmed in investigations conducted in other endemic areas.

Phlebotomine sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidae) from Lábrea, state of Amazonas, Brazil, with a description of Evandromyia (Aldamyia) apurinan Shimabukuro, Figueira & Silva, sp. nov.

An entomological survey was conducted from July-December 2009 and September-December 2010, as part of the epidemiological monitoring of American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) in the municipality of Lábrea, state of Amazonas (AM), Brazil. Sandflies were collected using CDC light traps installed in intra and peridomiciliary locations, as well as the border of forested areas around houses where autochthonous cases of ACL were recorded. A total of 510 sandflies belonging to 26 species were collected. The most abundant species was Nyssomyia antunesi (44.5%) followed by Evandromyia walkeri (10.6%) and Micropygomyia rorotaensis (9.8%). Here we also describe Evandromyia (Aldamyia) apurinan sp. nov. and report new records for Trichophoromyia flochi and Evandromyia sipani in AM and Brazil, respectively. Our results describe the composition of the sandfly fauna in the south of AM and suggest Ny. antunesi as the putative vector in the transmission of Leishmania in this area of the Amazon Region.

Paramentação cirúrgica: avaliação de sua adequação para a prevenção de riscos biológicos em cirurgias. Parte I: a utilização durante as cirurgias

O estudo elaborou critérios para uso adequado da paramentação cirúrgica e avaliou, por observação sistematizada, o desempenho da equipe cirúrgica durante a cirurgia. O procedimento adotado foi válido, permitindo reconhecer aspectos positivos e problemáticos. A exceção do óculos protetor, todos os outros componentes da paramentação foram utilizados. A questão se situou na forma de utilização, onde gorros e máscaras foram mais problemáticos entre anestesistas e circulantes; avental e luvas entre cirurgiões e, principalmente, instrumentadores.

Paramentação cirúrgica: avaliação de sua adequação para a prevenção de riscos biológicos em cirurgias - parte II: os componentes da paramentação

O estudo elaborou critérios de avaliação dos componentes da paramentação cirúrgica de hospitais do município de São Paulo. A maior dificuldade nessa elaboração deveu-se à inexistência de normas e consenso sobre a porosidade dos tecidos como barreira microbiológica e de contato com sangue e outros fluidos. Contudo, foi possível reconhecer aspectos positivos e problemáticos. Observou-se que existe semelhanças dos componentes entre os hospitais, no que se refere a modelo e tipo de tecido. As luvas foram os componentes com maior índice de adequação e os propés, os de maior índice de inadequação. O aspecto mais problemático referiu-se aos controles de aquisição e de reprocessamento dos componentes re-utilizáveis.

Prevalência da incontinência urinária em adultos e idosos hospitalizados

Este estudo objetivou verificar a prevalência da incontinência urinária em pacientes hospitalizados e identificar as associações estatísticas existentes entre os índices obtidos e algumas variáveis demográficas e clínicas da clientela. Os dados foram colhidos no Hospital Universitário da USP, junto a 77 pacientes internados em três diferentes clínicas. Os resultados indicaram prevalências total de 35% e parciais de 48%, 37% e 22% nas Clínicas Cirúrgica, Obstétrica e Médica, respectivamente. Correlações estatisticamente significativas foram verificadas entre a prevalência e disúria (r=0,19 e p=0,046), infecções urinárias (r=0,24 e p=0,019), tempo de internação (r=-0,32 e p=0,002) e sexo masculino (r=-0,27 e p=0,008).

Conhecimento sobre DST/AIDS por estudantes adolescentes

O estudo teve como objetivo verificar o conhecimento de adolescentes sobre prevenção, transmissão, sinais e sintomas de DST/Aids, e colaborar na elaboração de ações educativas do Projeto de Extensão Universitária Corporalidade e Promoção da Saúde. Foi realizado em três instituições de ensino fundamental e médio do município de Embu, com 1087 adolescentes (40% do sexo feminino e 60% do sexo masculino). Utilizou-se um questionário estruturado de múltipla escolha. Os resultados mostraram que, quanto à forma de prevenção, 92% do grupo feminino e 78% do grupo masculino referiram utilizar preservativo, enquanto 42% do grupo feminino e 43% do grupo masculino responderam lavar os genitais após relação sexual; 75% do grupo feminino e 52% do grupo masculino citaram a televisão como fonte para obtenção de informações; quanto ao conhecimento sobre DST, garotas e rapazes demonstraram ter pouca informação; em relação à cura das DST, 57% do grupo feminino e 71% do grupo masculino referiram não ter conhecimento, sendo que 5% do grupo feminino e 6% do grupo masculino achavam que a AIDS tem cura. De forma geral, pudemos concluir que as garotas estavam mais esclarecidas em relação à temática que os rapazes.

Práticas culturais sobre aleitamento materno entre famílias cadastradas em um Programa de Saúde da Família

Objetivou-se identificar as práticas culturais em relação ao aleitamento materno entre famílias cadastradas em um PSF. Estudo descritivo, exploratório, realizado em Pentecoste, Ceará, com 15 mães que demonstraram algum fator restritivo ao aleitamento. A coleta de dados ocorreu por meio de observação direta e entrevista semiestruturada e, após análise, emergiram as categorias empíricas: prazer em amamentar e prevenção de doenças; influência da família/comunidade; e dificuldade em manter a amamentação. As mães verbalizaram dificuldades na prática da amamentação, ausência de um suporte adequado do serviço de saúde que envolva fatores não somente biológicos, mas no âmbito social e cultural. Conclui-se que há distanciamento entre o discurso científico e as práticas culturais do dia-a-dia dessas famílias.

Ensino da enfermagem psiquiátrica/saúde mental: sua interface com a Reforma Psiquiátrica e diretrizes curriculares nacionais

Estudo teórico acerca do processo de formação em Enfermagem Psiquiátrica e Saúde Mental, frente às crescentes mudanças no mundo globalizado e seu acelerado processo de modernização científica e tecnológica. Objetiva discutir o fazer pedagógico no ensino da Enfermagem Psiquiátrica e Saúde Mental, e sua interface com os princípios da Reforma Psiquiátrica e das Diretrizes Curriculares Nacionais dos Cursos de Graduação em Enfermagem. Para sua sustentação teórica, adota como referência alguns construtos da Reforma Psiquiátrica e das Diretrizes Curriculares Nacionais do Curso de Graduação em Enfermagem, e sua relação com fatores constituintes do fazer pedagógico na Enfermagem Psiquiátrica e Saúde Mental. Evidencia que não basta apontar questões técnicas relativas a conteúdos e ensino, procedimentos didáticos, métodos e técnicas pedagógicas; é necessário superar desafios e implementar as mudanças, pautando-se numa nova perspectiva, e ousando colocar em questão a natureza do saber e das práticas institucionais psiquiátricas.