Host genetic factors in mouse malaria liver stage infection

Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia

Genomic and environmental factors influence Wolbachia-Drosophila symbiosis

Intracellular, vertically transmitted bacteria form complex and intimate relationships with their hosts. Wolbachia, maternally transmitted α- proteobacteria, live within the cells of numerous arthropod species. Wolbachia are famous master manipulators of insect reproduction: to favour their own spread they can induce male killing, parthenogenesis or cytoplasmic incompatibility. Wolbachia can also protect various insects from pathogens, which makes them a promising tool for the control of vector-borne diseases. Mosquitoes with Wolbachia have already been released in the wild to eliminate dengue. Yet, how Wolbachia manipulate their hosts remains largely unknown.(...)

Risk factors for Leishmania chagasi infection in an endemic area in Raposa, State of Maranhão, Brazil

INTRODUCTION: Infection with Leishmania chagasi is the most common clinical presentation for visceral leishmaniaisis in endemic areas. The municipality of Raposa is an endemic area in State of Maranhão, Brazil, and have had registration cases of visceral leishmaniasis disease. For this reason, a cross- sectional study was conducted to evaluate the risk factors for infection with L. chagasi detected by Montenegro skin test. METHODS: The sample comprised 96% of the inhabitants of the villages of Maresia, Pantoja, and Marisol located in the municipality of Raposa, corresponding to 1,359 subjects. Data were collected using a questionnaire. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were applied to evaluate the association between the variables studied and infection of L. chagasi. RESULTS: The variables associated with infection upon nonadjusted analysis were a straw roof, mud walls, floors of beaten earth, presence of sand flies inside or outside of the dwelling, and bathing outdoors. Adjusted analysis showed that the presence of sand flies inside/outside the dwelling was a risk factor, and age younger than 10 years was a protective factor against asymptomatic infection. CONCLUSIONS: The results highlight the extent to which precarious living conditions of the population strengthen the epidemiological chain of visceral leishmaniasis.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection: risk factors and clinical outcome in non-intensive-care units

INTRODUCTION: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is spread out in hospitals across different regions of the world and is regarded as the major agent of nosocomial infections, causing infections such as skin and soft tissue pneumonia and sepsis. The aim of this study was to identify risk factors for methicillin-resistance in Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection (BSI) and the predictive factors for death. METHODS: A retrospective cohort of fifty-one patients presenting bacteraemia due to S. aureus between September 2006 and September 2008 was analysed. Staphylococcu aureus samples were obtained from blood cultures performed by clinical hospital microbiology laboratory from the Uberlândia Federal University. Methicillinresistance was determined by growth on oxacillin screen agar and antimicrobial susceptibility by means of the disk diffusion method. RESULTS: We found similar numbers of MRSA (56.8%) and methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) (43.2%) infections, and the overall hospital mortality ratio was 47%, predominantly in MRSA group (70.8% vs. 29.2%) (p=0.05). Age (p=0.02) was significantly higher in MRSA patients as also was the use of central venous catheter (p=0.02). The use of two or more antimicrobial agents (p=0.03) and the length of hospital stay prior to bacteraemia superior to seven days (p=0.006) were associated with mortality. High odds ratio value was observed in cardiopathy as comorbidity. CONCLUSIONS: Despite several risk factors associated with MRSA and MSSA infection, the use of two or more antimicrobial agents was the unique independent variable associated with mortality.

Biological, behavioral, and socioeconomic factors associated with death from AIDS in Brasília, Brazil, in 2007

INTRODUCTION: In the jurisdiction of Brasília, Brazil, significant reductions in mortality rates and lethality resulting from acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) were observed shortly after the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy. In recent years, however, the decline of these rates has not been as significant. Non-adherence to treatment and delayed diagnosis appear to be the main factors that increase the risk of death from AIDS. Behavioral, socioeconomic, and biological factors could also be associated with increased risk of death due to AIDS. This study aimed to identify which of these factors were associated with deaths from AIDS in Brasília. METHODS: A case-control study was undertaken using the data recorded in the Information System of Notifiable Diseases. Cases consisted of AIDS deaths occurring in 2007, residing in Brasília, and over 12 years of age. Controls consisted of AIDS patients who did not die until December 31 2007, also residing in Brasília, and over 12 years of age. For each group, frequency and proportion tables for the variables were prepared. The statistical association of each factor in isolation with the occurrence of the deaths was verified through a model of multivariate analysis using logistic regression. RESULTS: The factors that were associated with an increased risk of death were intravenous drug use, age 50 years or more, and residing in a region whose residents have low per capita income. CONCLUSIONS: We identified factors associated with death due to AIDS that can guide health planning.

Factors associated with Leishmania chagasi infection in domestic dogs from Teresina, State of Piauí, Brazil

INTRODUCTION: Many studies have evaluated risk factors for human visceral leishmaniasis, but few have focused on the infection among dogs. The objective of this study was to assess the association between peridomestic socioeconomic and environmental factors and the presence of dogs seropositive for Leishmania chagasi in the City of Teresina, Brazil. METHODS: This case-control study was based on the results of a routine seroepidemiological survey among domestic dogs carried out in 2007. Serological tests were performed by means of indirect immunofluorescence antibody test. All dwellings in which at least one seropositive dog was detected were considered cases, and controls were a random sample of dwellings in which only seronegative dogs were identified. Associations between variables were expressed as odds ratios (OR) and their respective 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) estimated using multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: Dwellings with a history of dogs removed by the visceral leishmaniasis control program in the last 12 months had five-fold higher odds of having at least one seropositive dog as compared with dwellings having no history of dog removal (OR = 5.19; 95%CI = 3.20-8.42). Dwellings with cats had 58% increased odds of dog infection as compared with those having no cats (OR = 1.58; 95%CI = 1.01-2.47). CONCLUSIONS: Identification of factors associated with canine visceral leishmaniasis might be used for the delimitation of areas of higher risk for human visceral leishmaniasis, since infection in dogs generally precedes the appearance of human cases.

Fatores de risco no patrulhamento da GNR em ambiente operacional

In the mid-twentieth century, Portugal took the first big step towards social awareness of the Safety and Health at Work. Still later, the International Labour Organization and the World Health Organization were responsible for setting global guidelines that clarified the States for the way forward in inguito of safeguarding the common interests of workers, businesses and the state. All workers should be covered by the rules governing matters relating to Safety, imperative requirements established in the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic. These also include those soldiers from National Guard who, in contemporary social conjecture face in their everyday life situations worthy of heightened risk aquidade. Ensure the identification of risk factors to which they are exposed, is, first, a big boost in the way of preserving the safety of these employees, who daily selflessly and under the most adverse working conditions fulfill the mission of the Guarda Nacional Republicana. Adverse weather conditions, and violence at work are two examples of risk factors to which the military Guard are daily exposed, and hence arise many days of absence from the workplace. The purpose of this study is to identify the main risk factors to which the military from GNR are exposed during dismounted patrols, and also provide solutions on ways to mitigate and manage the risks presented. The cognitive distance traveled, throughout this study led us to demonstrate that it has been done by the GNR chain of Command, a huge effort to ensure through various forms (including emphasize the new Regulation of Uniforms), the resolution of the main factors that may jeopardize the integrity of the patrolmen, betting this Institution in the protection of the military that compose it, and the prevention of accidents at work through training and systematic monitoring that superiors expend with its employees.

Phenotypic and molecular characterization of antimicrobial resistance and virulence factors in Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates from Recife, State of Pernambuco, Brazil

INTRODUCTION: The emergence of carbapenem resistance mechanisms in Pseudomonas aeruginosa has been outstanding due to the wide spectrum of antimicrobial degradation of these bacteria, reducing of therapeutic options. METHODS: Sixty-one clinical strains of P. aeruginosa isolated from five public hospitals in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil, were examined between 2006 and 2010, aiming of evaluating the profiles of virulence, resistance to antimicrobials, presence of metallo-β-lactamase (MBL) genes, and clonal relationship among isolates. RESULTS: A high percentage of virulence factors (34.4% mucoid colonies; 70.5% pyocyanin; 93.4% gelatinase positives; and 72.1% hemolysin positive) and a high percentage of antimicrobial resistance rates (4.9% pan-resistant and 54.1% multi-drug resistant isolates) were observed. Among the 29 isolates resistant to imipenem and/or ceftazidime, 44.8% (13/29) were MBL producers by phenotypic evaluation, and of these, 46.2% (6/13) were positive for the blaSPM-1 gene. The blaIMP and blaVIM genes were not detected. The molecular typing revealed 21 molecular profiles of which seven were detected in distinct hospitals and periods. Among the six positive blaSPM-1 isolates, three presented the same clonal profile and were from the same hospital, whereas the other three presented different clonal profiles. CONCLUSIONS: These results revealed that P. aeruginosa is able to accumulate different resistance and virulence factors, making the treatment of infections difficult. The identification of blaSPM-1 genes and the dissemination of clones in different hospitals, indicate the need for stricter application of infection control measures in hospitals in Recife, Brazil, aiming at reducing costs and damages caused by P. aeruginosa infections.

Do social factors matter for innovation, and do they influence innovation in Aeronautics Industry?

Based on the report for the course on “Social Factors of Innovation” of the PhD Program on Technology Assessment, supervised by Prof. António Brandão Moniz, Monte de Caparica, University NOVA Lisbon, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, July 2013

Factors of poor prognosis of visceral leishmaniasis among children under 12 years of age. A retrospective monocentric study in Belo Horizonte, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, 2001-2005

INTRODUTION: A major concern with the visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is its high lethality rate, even with proper treatment. Low age, prior malnutrition, disease duration prior to diagnosis, severe anemia, fever for more than 60 days, diarrhea and jaundice are known poor prognostic factors. The goals of this study are to describe the clinical and laboratory characteristics of VL among children under 12 years of age and to identify the factors associated with VL poor outcome. METHODS: Two hundred and fifty children under 12 years of age with confirmed VL admitted to Hospital João Paulo II (FHEMIG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil, between January 2001 and December 2005 were evaluated retrospectively. The primary outcome was the poor clinical evolution: sepsis, and/or pneumonia, and/or urinary tract infection, and/or of bleeding (expect epistaxis), and/or severe neutropenia (neutrophil < 500 cells/mm3). Odds ratio (crude and adjusted) and its 95% confidence interval for each variable were calculated. Values less than 0.05 were considered significant. RESULTS: Average age was 3.3 years (3.6 months-11.6 years), 71.2% were younger than 5 years and 47.2% lived in Metropolitan Area of Belo Horizonte. The mean fatality rate was 3.6%. Sixty-six (26.4%) patients presented poor evolution. After a multivariate analysis, age <18 months, abnormal respiratory physical examination on hospital admission, and platelets <85,000/mm3 remained associated with increased chance of poor evolution. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that patients aged between 12 and 18 months, with platelet counts bellow 85,000/mm3, and respiratory abnormalities at admission should be considered potentially severe.

Plasmodium vivax malaria: related factors to severity in the State of Maranhão, Brazil

INTRODUCTION: Malaria caused by Plasmodium vivax species has shown signs of severity, recorded with increasing frequency in the medical literature. This study aimed to characterize the signs of severe malaria by Plasmodium vivax in the State of Maranhão, Brazil. METHODS: A descriptive cohort study of patients assisted in the field and a historical and concurrent study of a series of cases among hospitalized patients were undertaken to identify the clinical and laboratory signs of severity. RESULTS: A total of 153 patients were included in the study, 13 of whom were hospitalized. Males made up the majority, numbering 103 (67.3%). The age of the patients ranged from 10 to 70 years, 92.2% were natives of the State of Maranhão, and 65% of the patients had had malaria before. The average time elapsed between symptom onset and diagnosis among outpatients was three days, while among hospitalized patients this average reached 15.5 days, a statistically significant difference (p=0.001). The parasitemia ranged from 500 to 10,000 parasites/µl in 92.8% of cases. The clinical and laboratory manifestations of severity were vomiting and diarrhea, jaundice, drowsiness, mental confusion, seizures, loss of consciousness, agitation, bleeding, pale skin, coughing and dyspnea, thrombocytopenia, anemia, elevation of nitrogenous compounds, and elevated transaminases and bilirubin. CONCLUSIONS: The monitoring of malaria patients with Plasmodium vivax showed the possibility of aggravation, the intensity of which varied in different circumstances, especially the interval time between falling ill and diagnostic confirmation.

Prevalence and risk factors for Toxoplasma gondii infection among pregnant and postpartum women attended at public healthcare facilities in the City of Niterói, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

IntroductionTo determine the prevalence of immunoglobulin G (IgG) and immunoglobulin M (IgM) anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies among pregnant and postpartum women attended within the public healthcare system in Niterói, State of Rio de Janeiro, and to detect possible exposure factors associated with T. gondii infection in this population.MethodsIgM and IgG anti-T. gondii antibodies were investigated in 276 pregnant and 124 postpartum women by using the indirect immunofluorescence (IFAT) and immunoenzymatic assay (ELISA) techniques. The participants were selected by convenience sampling. All these 400 patients filled out a free and informed consent statement, answered an epidemiological questionnaire and were informed about the disease.ResultsAmong the 400 samples analyzed, 234 (58.5%) were reactive to IgG anti-T. gondii antibodies, according to the IFAT and/or ELISA assay. One pregnant woman was found to be reactive to IgM anti-T. gondii antibodies, with an intermediate IgG avidity test. Risk factor analysis showed that seropositivity was significantly associated (p<0.05) with age, contact with cats and presence of rodents at home. Through a logistic regression model, these associations were confirmed for age and contact with cats, while education at least of the high school level was found to be a protective factor.ConclusionsThe prevalence rate of IgG anti-T. gondii antibodies in the City of Niterói was high and the risk factors for infection detected after multivariate analysis were: age over 30 years, contact with cats and education levels lower than university graduate level.

Prevalence and factors associated with HCV infection among elderly individuals in a southern Brazilian city

Introduction Few Latin American studies have assessed the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in elderly individuals, in whom the highest rates are expected. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of and factors associated with HCV infection in elderly residents in the municipality of Tubarão, Santa Catarina. Methods This cross-sectional study included 820 individuals (aged ≥ 60 years) who were selected by simple random sampling. The presence of anti-HCV antibodies was tested by chemiluminescence, and HCV RNA detection was performed for the anti-HCV-reactive subjects. Those individuals who were anti-HCV reactive but had undetectable HCV RNA levels were tested using a third-generation recombinant immunoblot assay. The variables were compared using the chi-squared test or Fisher's exact test, and those variables with p < 0.05 were included in the logistic regression model. Results The mean patient age was 68.6 years (SD 7.0 years); 39% were men, and 92% were Caucasian. Eighteen subjects were anti-HCV positive. Among these individuals, 4 were characterized as false-positives, leaving 14 (1.7%) individuals with confirmed infections for analysis. HCV infection was associated with an age older than 65 years, households with 3 or more residents and the previous transfusion of blood products. In the logistic regression analysis, the following variables were independently associated with HCV infection: households with 3 or more residents (OR 7.9, 95% CI 1.7–35.9, p = 0.008) and previous blood transfusion (OR 6.2, 95% CI 2.1–18.6, p = 0.001). Conclusions The HCV prevalence in the elderly population in the municipality of Tubarão was higher than that found in previous studies of blood donors in the same region. Although exposure to contaminated blood products remained important, other transmission routes, such as household transmission, could play a role in HCV infection.

Factors associated with a diagnosis of major depression among HIV-infected elderly patients

Introduction Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is being increasingly reported among the elderly and major depression (MD) may be associated with suboptimal adherence to treatment. Methods Cross-sectional study on factors associated with MD among 72 HIV-infected elderly individuals. Results Twenty (27.7%) patients were found to have MD. The female gender (odds ratio [OR] = 10.65; p = 0.00586), a low CD4 count during the study (OR = 1.005247; p = 0.01539), and current smoking status (OR = 12.89; p = 0.01693) were independently associated with MD. Conclusions Our data underscore the need to attentively search and treat MD among HIV-infected elderly patients.

How to take advantage of wine tourism: Creation of a new concept for central Alentejo based on its potential and worldwide success factors

Wine Tourism is gaining importance in today’s world and more destinations and establishments have been arising. After understanding the importance of this economic activity and the factors it must have to succeed, a new project was conceived for Central Alentejo taking into account its potential. This project is an example of how to take advantage of Wine Tourism in wine regions that are underexplored, such as Aldeias de Montoito, the village near Redondo to which a Business Plan will be created, explaining the strategies to pursue in order to have a successful Wine Tourism destination.