987 resultados para Region growing algorithms


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The aim of this study was to analyse the clinical, epidemiological and bacteriological features present in 60 pulmonary tuberculosis patients who were also infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and to compare these with 120 TB patients who were not infected with HIV. The patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and HIV coinfection were mostly male (p = 0.001), showed a higher frequency of weight loss >10 kilos (p <0.001), had a higher rate of non-reaction result to the tuberculin skin test (p <0.001), a higher frequency of negative sputum smear examination for acid-fast bacilli (p = 0.001) and negative sputum culture for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (p = 0.001). Treatment failure was more common in those who were HIV positive (p <0.000). No higher frequency of resistance to antituberculosis drugs was found to be associated with TB/HIV coinfection (p = 0.407). Association between extrapulmonary and pulmonary tuberculosis was more frequent in those seropositive to HIV than those without HIV virus, 30% and 1.6% respectively. These findings showed a predominance of atypical clinical laboratory features in co-infected patients, and suggest that health care personnel should consider the possibility this diagnosis.

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We sequenced the internal transcribed spacer 2 of the ribosomal DNA (ITS2-DNAr) from the three Schistosoma mansoni intermediate hosts in Brazil: Biomphalaria glabrata, Biomphalaria tenagophila and Biomphalaria straminea. Analysis of a restriction map from those sequences allowed us to select putative restriction enzymes able to identify the snail species under study. Four restriction enzymes were used and HpaII provided simple species-specific profiles easily visualized in polyacrylamide gels. The use of ITS2 is advantageous as it provides a small fragment of 460 bp which may be easily amplified by PCR. In the current work, we showed that the amplification of ITS2-DNAr together with HpaII enzyme restriction is an auxiliary molecular tool for the morphological identification of such snails as well as for taxonomic and phylogenetic studies of neotropical planorbids.

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Dissertation presented to obtain the Master Degree in Molecular, Genetics and Biomedicine

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Due to the occurrence of cases of dermal leishmaniasis in the Municipality of Piçarras, in the East of the Brazilian State of Santa Catarina, collections of Phlebotomine sandflies by the use of CDC-like light traps were developed near the houses of the patients. Three species (Lutzomyia neivai, Lu. fischeri and Lu. ayrozai) were collected. Lu. neivai was predominant near the houses, and Lu. ayrozai was collected in a secondary forest in a nearby municipality (Navegantes). The novelty of this focus, the most southern one in the East of Brazil, underscores the need for more complete studies on the sandfly fauna.

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RESUMO: INTRODUÇÃO: O rápido envelhecimento populacional, o aumento da prevalência de transtornos neuropsiquiátricos, o aumento das taxas de morbilidade clínica e incapacidade entre idosos de países em desenvolvimento têm trazido preocupações sobre a saúde mental e sobrecarga de cuidadores informais. Está bem estabelecida a elevada prevalência de transtornos mentais comuns (TMC) associada à adversidade socioeconômica, baixo nível educacional, estresse e gênero. Idosos e cuidadores vivendo em comunidade compartilham fatores de risco para morbilidade física e psiquiátrica. Adicionalmente, os cuidadores tem uma tripla carga, sendo simultaneamente familiares, trabalhadores leigos em saúde sem suporte dos serviços de saúde e assistência social e um paciente com necessidades não atendidas. O cuidador informal é o principal provedor de cuidado em todos os países. OBJETIVOS: Acessar perfil sociodemográfico, níveis de transtorno mental comum (TMC) e sobrecarga em cuidadores, características do cuidado e prevalência de demência e depressão no idosos, numa área carente da região oeste de São Paulo –Brasil. MÉTODO: Esta pesquisa transversal deriva do São Paulo Ageing and Health Study (SPAH) que incluiu idosos com 65 anos ou mais e seus respectivos cuidadores. Os participantes foram identificados por arrolamento domiciliar e entrevistadas em suas casas com protocolo padronizado de pesquisa. O instrumento utilizado para acessar os transtornos mentais comuns, foi o Self Rating Questionnaire SRQ-20.A sobrecarga foi quantificada pelo Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale. Diagnósticos psicogeriátricos foram mensurados através do SRQ-20 e critérios do CID-10 e do DSM-IV. 8 RESULTADOS: 588 cuidadores e respectivos idosos foram incluídos. Nos idosos, a prevalência de demência foi 15,9%, de depressão pelo CiD-10 9.9% e de TMC 39,25% Nos cuidadores, a prevalência de TMC foi de 55,1% e 32,8% dos cuidadores apresentaram sobrecarga elevada. O perfil do cuidador foi filha,com idade em torno dos 49 anos, casada e com baixo nível educacional.------------------ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: With the fast population aging, growing prevalence of neuropsychiatric disorders, clinical morbidity and disability among the elderly particularly in low income countries (LAMIC), has brought concerns about informal caregiver Mental Health and Burden. It is well established the high prevalence of Common Mental Disorders (CMD) associated to socioeconomic adversity, low educational attainment, stress and gender. Community-dwelling elders and caregivers share risk factors for physical and psychiatric morbidity. In addition, caregivers have a triple strain, being simultaneously, family members, lay health workers with lack of support from health and social work services and a hidden patient with unmet needs. The world main source of caregiving relies on informal caregiver. AIMS: To assess 1) the sociodemographic profile, levels of CMD and burden among caregivers, and 2) the characteristics of care and prevalence of dementia and depression in elderly in a socioeconomic underprivileged area in western region of Sao Paulo – Brazil. METHOD: The present investigation is a cross-sectional part of Sao Paulo Ageing and Health Study (SPAH) which included participants aged 65 or older and their respective caregivers. Participants were identified by household enrollment and interviewed in their homes using a standardized research protocol. The assessment of common mental disorders was performed with the Self Rating Questionnaire – 20 (SRQ-20), used to establish psychiatric caseness. The assessment of burden was performed with Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale. Dementia and psychogeriatric diagnosis were reached through ICD-10, SRQ-20 and DSM-IV criteria. 10 RESULTS: 588 caregivers and respective elderly relatives were included. Prevalence of dementia was 15.9%, ICD-10 depression 9.9% and CMD 39.3% among the elderlys. Common mental disorder prevalence in caregivers was 55.1% and high burden was reached in 32.8% of the caregiver sample. Most of the caregivers were married and co-resident daughters with a mean age of 49 years (CI 95% - 48.7 to 51).

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This open comparative study for evaluating hypersensitivity to tuberculin among medical students (n=441), nursing students (n=178) and economics students (n=230) in Vitória, State of Espírito Santo, had the aim of assessing whether the prevalence of positive tuberculin tests among healthcare students could be used as a sentinel event for nosocomial transmission in localities with high endemicity. There was a significant change in the frequency of purified protein derivative reactivity in the nursing students (20. 3%) and medical students (18. 4%), in comparison with the economics students (6%) (p <0. 001). As expected, the medical and nursing students had more knowledge about tuberculosis than did the economics students (p <0. 001). Our data suggest that the incidence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection among nursing and medical students in our region, which has high endemicity of tuberculosis, does not differ from what is found in low-incidence countries. These data reinforce the need for implementing biosafety programs for this target population.

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Patients with AIDS are particularly susceptible to infection with intestinal coccidia. In this study the prevalence of infections with Cryptosporidium sp and Cystoisospora belli were evaluated among HIV/AIDS patients in the Triângulo Mineiro region, Brazil. Between July 1993 and June 2003 faecal samples from 359 patients were collected and stained by a modified Ziehl-Neelsen method, resulting in 19.7% of positivity for coccidian (8.6% with Cryptosporidium sp, 10.3% with Cystoisospora belli and 0.8% with both coccidian). Patients with diarrhoea and T CD4+ lymphocyte levels < 200 cells/mm3 presented higher frequency of these protozoans, demonstrating the opportunistic profile of these infections and its relationship with the immunological status of the individual. It was not possible to determine the influence of HAART, since only 8.5% of the patients positive for coccidian received this therapy regularly. Parasitism by Cryptosporidium sp was more frequent between December and February and thus was characterised by a seasonal pattern of infection, which was not observed with Cystoisospora belli.

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Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women all over the world. An important issue that is not commonly addressed in breast cancer imaging literature is the importance of imaging the underarm region—where up to 80% of breast cancer cells can metastasise to. The first axillary lymph nodes to receive drainage from the primary tumour in the breast are called Sentinel Node. If cancer cells are found in the Sentinel Node, there is an increased risk of metastatic breast cancer which makes this evaluation crucial to decide what follow-up exams and therapy to follow. However, non-invasive detection of cancer cells in the lymph nodes is often inconclusive, leading to the surgical removal of too many nodes which causes adverse side-effects for patients. Microwave Imaging is one of the most promising non-invasive imaging modalities for breast cancer early screening and monitoring. This novel study tests the feasibility of imaging the axilla region by means of the simulation of an Ultra-Wideband Microwave Imaging system. Simulations of such system are completed in several 2D underarm models that mimic the axilla. Initial imaging results are obtained by means of processing the simulated backscattered signals by eliminating artefacts caused by the skin and beamforming the processed signals in order to time-align all the signals recorded at each antenna. In this dissertation several image formation algorithms are implemented and compared by visual inspection of the resulting images and through a range of performance metrics, such as Signal-to-Clutter Ratio and FullWidth Half Maximum calculations. The results in this study showed that Microwave Imaging is a promising technique that might allow to identify the presence and location of metastasised cancer cells in axillary lymph nodes, enabling the non-invasive evaluation of breast cancer staging.

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Due to their high adsorption capacity of water vapor, earthen plasters can act as a moisture buffer, contributing to balance the relative humidity of the indoor environment of buildings. As a consequence of this capacity earthen plasters may also contribute to the perception of thermal comfort, since a high relative humidity increases the thermal conductivity of air and restricts skin evaporation, increasing the discomfort associated with the perception of heat or cold. Simultaneously, earthen plasters may also contribute to the indoor air quality. In one hand, by mitigating health problems of the respiratory system associated with indoor environment with high relative humidity, in which increases the risk of development of microorganisms usually responsible for infections, allergies or asthma. In the other hand, by mitigating the probability of inflammation of the respiratory system airways associated to exceedingly dry indoor environments. Therefore it also becomes expectable that earthen plasters may contribute for reducing the needs for air conditioning and mechanical ventilation in buildings and, thereby, also allowing the reduction of the associated energy consumption. The «Barrocal» region, located in the sedimentary basin of Algarve, South Portugal, presents geomorphological characteristics that promote the occurrence of soils with a clay mineralogy dominated by illite, which is a clay mineral characterized by a high adsorption capacity of water vapor and low expansibility. This fact turns expectable that these soils have a high potential for interior plastering. In order to evaluate this potential four mortars were formulated with an increasing content of clayey soil extracted from a selected clay quarry from «Barrocal» region. The results from the preliminary characterization campaign confirmed the reduced linear shrinkage of these mortars, as well as their high adsorption-desorption capacity, that is positively correlated with the content of clayey soil present in mortar formulation. However, the mechanical tests showed that the mechanical resistance of these mortars should be improved, for instance through the addition of natural fibers for reinforcement, which will be investigated in future research. This research contributed to increase certainty regarding the potential of clayey soils of the «Barrocal» sub-region of Algarve to produce mortars suitable for eco-efficient interior plastering.

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This study evaluated the prevalence of hepatitis A virus infection in the rural area of Lábrea, in the western Brazilian Amazon region. Communities and households were selected randomly. Serum samples were analyzed by means of the immunoenzymatic method for the presence of total antibodies against HAV. The study included 1,499 individuals. The prevalence of anti-HAV was 74.6% (95% CI 72.3-76.8). Univariate analysis showed associations with age (chi-square for linear trend = 496.003, p < 0.001), presence of outside toilet (p < 0.001), history of hepatitis (p < 0.001) and family history of hepatitis (p = 0.05). After adjusting for age, HAV infection also showed an association with the number of people in the family (p = 0.03). The overall prevalence rates were high, but not more than 60% of the children under the age of ten years had already been infected. Very high prevalence was detected only within older cohorts, thus paradoxically defining this as a region with intermediate endemicity, even under the conditions of poverty encountered.

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Retinal ultra-wide field of view images (fundus images) provides the visu-alization of a large part of the retina though, artifacts may appear in those images. Eyelashes and eyelids often cover the clinical region of interest and worse, eye-lashes can be mistaken with arteries and/or veins when those images are put through automatic diagnosis or segmentation software creating, in those cases, the appearance of false positives results. Correcting this problem, the first step in the development of qualified auto-matic diseases diagnosis programs can be done and in that way the development of an objective tool to assess diseases eradicating the human error from those processes can also be achieved. In this work the development of a tool that automatically delimitates the clinical region of interest is proposed by retrieving features from the images that will be analyzed by an automatic classifier. This automatic classifier will evaluate the information and will decide which part of the image is of interest and which part contains artifacts. The results were validated by implementing a software in C# language and validated through a statistical analysis. From those results it was confirmed that the methodology presented is capable of detecting artifacts and selecting the clin-ical region of interest in fundus images of the retina.

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INTRODUCTION: Isoenzymatic analyses were performed involving species of the Nyssorhynchus and Anopheles subgenera in order to estimate the intra and interspecies genetic variability. METHODS: Mosquitoes were caught at different localities in the Amazon region. The collection and rearing of mosquitoes in the laboratory followed specific protocols. For the genetic variability analyses, the technique of horizontal electrophoresis on starch and starch-agarose gel with appropriate buffer systems was used. The alloenzyme variation was estimated using the Biosys-1 software. RESULTS: Out of the 13 loci, eight were polymorphic. Anopheles nuneztovari presented the largest number of alleles per locus, while the smallest number was detected in Anopheles marajoara from Macapá. The largest number of polymorphic loci was found for Anopheles marajoara from Maruanum and the smallest for Anopheles benarrochi (Guayará Mirim). Anopheles darlingi (Macapá) presented the greatest heterozygosity (Ho = 0.167 ± 0.071), while the lowest heterozygosity (Ho = 0.045 ± 0.019) was observed in Anopheles intermedius (Pacoval) of the subgenus Anopheles. Wright's F coefficient revealed considerable genetic structuring between the populations of Anopheles darlingi (Fst = 0.110) and between the populations of Anopheles marajoara (Fst = 0.082). CONCLUSIONS: Considering all the species studied, the genetic distance ranged from 0.008 to 1.114. The greatest distance was between Anopheles mattogrossensis and Anopheles oswaldoi, while the smallest was between the Anopheles benarrochi populations.

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INTRODUCTION: The Amazon region has extensive forested areas and natural ecosystems, providing favorable conditions for the existence of innumerous arboviruses. Over 200 arboviruses have been isolated in Brazil and about 40 are associated with human disease. Four out of 40 are considered to be of public health importance in Brazil: Dengue viruses (1-4), Oropouche, Mayaro and Yellow Fever. Along with these viruses, about 98% of the malaria cases are restricted to the Legal Amazon region. METHODS: This study aimed to investigate the presence of arboviruses in 111 clinical serum samples from patients living in Novo Repartimento (Pará), Plácido de Castro (Acre), Porto Velho (Rondônia) and Oiapoque (Amapá). The viral RNA was extracted and RT-PCR was performed followed by a Multiplex-Nested-PCR, using Flavivirus, Alphavirus and Orthobunyavirus generic and species-specific primers. RESULTS: Dengue virus serotype 2 was detected in two patients living in Novo Repartimento (Pará) that also presented active Plasmodium vivax infection. CONCLUSIONS: Despite scant data, this situation is likely to occur more frequently than detected in the Amazon region. Finally, it is important to remember that both diseases have similar clinical findings, thus the diagnosis could be made concomitantly for dengue and malaria in patients living or returning from areas where both diseases are endemic or during dengue outbreaks.

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The type of pulmonary histoplasmosis presents limited lesions to the lungs, with symptoms that are clinically and radiological similar to chronic pulmonary tuberculosis. This paper describes the clinical features of four cases of pulmonary histoplasmosis. Aspects of diagnostic and clinical, epidemiological, laboratorial and imaging exams are discussed, in addition to the clinical status of the individuals five years after disease onset. The treatment of choice was oral medication, following which all the patients improved. It is important to understand the clinical status and the difficulties concerning the differential diagnosis of histoplasmosis, to assist the proper indication of cases, thus reducing potential confusion with other diseases.