Oral live attenuated human rotavirus vaccine (RotarixTM) offers sustained high protection against severe G9P[8] rotavirus gastroenteritis during the first two years of life in Brazilian children

In a large Phase III trial conducted in 10 Latin American countries, the safety and efficacy of the live attenuated monovalent rotavirus vaccine RIX4414 was evaluated in 15,183 healthy infants followed up during the first two years of life. Belém was the only site in Brazil included in this multicentre trial. The study in Belém included a subset of 653 infants who were followed up until 24 months of age for protection against severe rotavirus gastroenteritis. These subjects were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive two doses of vaccine (n = 328) or two doses of placebo (n = 325) at approximately two and four months of age. Of the 653 enrolled infants, 23 dropped out during the study period. For the combined two-year period, the efficacy of RIX4414 was 72.3% [95% confidence interval (CI) 37.5-89.1%] against severe rotavirus-related gastroenteritis, reaching a protection rate of 81.8% (95% CI 36.4-96.6%) against circulating wild-type G9 rotavirus strains. It is concluded that two doses of RIX4414 are highly efficacious against severe rotavirus gastroenteritis in Belém during the first two years of life and provide high protection against the worldwide emergence and spread of G9P[8] strains.

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.

Brazilian Angiostrongylus cantonensis haplotypes, ac8 and ac9, have two different biological and morphological profiles

Angiostrongylus cantonensis is the etiologic agent of eosinophilic meningoencephalitis in humans. Cases have been recorded in many parts of the world, including Brazil. The aim of this study was to compare the differences in the biology and morphology of two different Brazilian haplotypes of A. : ac8 and ac9. A significantly larger number of L1 larvae eliminated in the faeces of rodents at the beginning of the patent period was observed for ac9 haplotype and compared to the total of L1 larvae eliminated, there was a significant difference between the two haplotypes. The ac9 haplotype showed a significant difference in the proportion of female and male specimens (0.6:1), but the same was not observed for ac8 (1.2:1). The morphometric analysis showed that male and female specimens isolated from ac8 haplotype were significantly larger with respect to body length, oesophagus length, spicule length (male) and distance from the anus to the rear end (female) compared to specimens from ac9. The morphological analysis by light microscopy showed little variation in the level of bifurcations at the lateral rays in the right lobe of the copulatory bursa between the two haplotypes. The biological, morphological and morphometric variations observed between the two haplotypes agree with the observed variation at the molecular level using the cytochrome oxidase subunit I marker and reinforce the possible influence of geographical isolation on the development of these haplotypes.

A comparison of molecular markers to detect Lutzomyia longipalpis naturally infected with Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum

The aim of the present study was to detect natural infection by Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum in Lutzomyia longipalpis captured in Barcarena, state of Pará, Brazil, through the use of three primer sets. With this approach, it is unnecessary to previously dissect the sandfly specimens. DNA of 280 Lu. longipalpis female specimens were extracted from the whole insects. PCR primers for kinetoplast minicircle DNA (kDNA), the mini-exon gene and the small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU-rRNA) gene of Leishmania were used, generating fragments of 400 bp, 780 bp and 603 bp, respectively. Infection by the parasite was found with the kDNA primer in 8.6% of the cases, with the mini-exon gene primer in 7.1% of the cases and with the SSU-rRNA gene primer in 5.3% of the cases. These data show the importance of polymerase chain reaction as a tool for investigating the molecular epidemiology of visceral leishmaniasis by estimating the risk of disease transmission in endemic areas, with the kDNA primer representing the most reliable marker for the parasite.

Identification of blood meal sources of Lutzomyia longipalpis using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of the cytochrome B gene

An analysis of the dietary content of haematophagous insects can provide important information about the transmission networks of certain zoonoses. The present study evaluated the potential of polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis of the mitochondrial cytochrome B (cytb)gene to differentiate between vertebrate species that were identified as possible sources of sandfly meals. The complete cytb gene sequences of 11 vertebrate species available in the National Center for Biotechnology Information database were digested with Aci I, Alu I, Hae III and Rsa I restriction enzymes in silico using Restriction Mapper software. The cytb gene fragment (358 bp) was amplified from tissue samples of vertebrate species and the dietary contents of sandflies and digested with restriction enzymes. Vertebrate species presented a restriction fragment profile that differed from that of other species, with the exception of Canis familiaris and Cerdocyon thous. The 358 bp fragment was identified in 76 sandflies. Of these, 10 were evaluated using the restriction enzymes and the food sources were predicted for four: Homo sapiens (1), Bos taurus (1) and Equus caballus (2). Thus, the PCR-RFLP technique could be a potential method for identifying the food sources of arthropods. However, some points must be clarified regarding the applicability of the method, such as the extent of DNA degradation through intestinal digestion, the potential for multiple sources of blood meals and the need for greater knowledge regarding intraspecific variations in mtDNA.

A comparison of larval, ovitrap and MosquiTRAP surveillance for Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti

In Brazil, the entomological surveillance of Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti is performed by government-mandated larval surveys. In this study, the sensitivities of an adult sticky trap and traditional surveillance methodologies were compared. The study was performed over a 12-week period in a residential neighbourhood of the municipality of Pedro Leopoldo, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. An ovitrap and a MosquiTRAP were placed at opposite ends of each neighbourhood block (60 traps in total) and inspections were performed weekly. The study revealed significant correlations of moderate strength between the larval survey, ovitrap and MosquiTRAP measurements. A positive relationship was observed between temperature, adult capture measurements and egg collections, whereas precipitation and frequency of rainy days exhibited a negative relationship.

Development of the BG-Malaria trap as an alternative to human-landing catches for the capture of Anopheles darlingi

Although the human-landing catch (HLC) method is the most effective for collecting anthropophilic anophelines, it has been increasingly abandoned, primarily for ethical considerations. The objective of the present study was to develop a new trap for the collection of Anopheles darlingi . The initial trials were conducted using the BG-Sentinel trap as a standard for further trap development based on colour, airflow direction and illumination. The performance of the trap was then compared with those of the CDC, Fay-Prince, counterflow geometry trap (CFG) and HLC. All trials were conducted outdoors between 06:00 pm-08:00 pm. Female specimens of An. darlingi were dissected to determine their parity. A total of 8,334 anophelines were captured, of which 4,945 were identified as An. darlingi . The best trap configuration was an all-white version, with an upward airflow and no required light source. This configuration was subsequently named BG-Malaria (BGM). The BGM captured significantly more anophelines than any of the other traps tested and was similar to HLC with respect to the number and parity of anophelines. The BGM trap can be used as an alternative to HLC for collecting anophelines.

Prevalence and genotyping of hepatitis C virus in blood donors in the state of Pará, Northern Brazil

Given the scarcity of epidemiological information on hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in Northern Brazil, we determined the prevalence and genotypic frequency in blood donors in the state of Pará (PA). Blood samples from all of the blood donors at the Fundação HEMOPA (blood bank of PA) from 2004-2006 were screened for the presence of antibodies to anti-HCV and samples seroreactive to anti-HCV were further tested for HCV RNA using real-time PCR. In total, 116 HCV-RNA samples were genotyped, based on maximum likelihood phylogenetic analyses, using BioEdit, Modelgenerator, PHYML and FigTree software. The population consisted of 242,726 volunteers who donated blood from 2004-2006; the most common subgroup was males between the ages of 18-29 years old (37.30%). Within the whole group, 1,112 blood donors (0.46%) had indeterminate or positive serology; among these, 28.78% were males whose ages ranged from 18-29 years. A diagnosis of chronic HCV infection was confirmed for 304 donors (60.20% males; 66.45% were 30-49 years old), resulting in a prevalence of HCV RNA in 0.13% of the samples (304 of 242,726). HCV genotyping revealed a high frequency of genotype 1 (108/116) followed by genotype 3 (8/116). This study found HCV infection to be relatively infrequent in PA; genotype 1 was most commonly isolated. This information can help guide prevention and control policies aimed at efficient diagnosis and control measures.

Susceptibility of Anopheles aquasalis and An. darlingi to Plasmodium vivax VK210 and VK247

The susceptibility of Anopheles aquasalis (F₃ generation) and An. darlingi (F₁ generation) to Plasmodium vivax circumsporozoite protein phenotypes from a limited number of blood samples of malaria patients in Belém, state of Pará, Brazil, was examined. A polymerase chain reaction was used to determine the P. vivax phenotypes in blood samples and the blood-fed infected mosquitoes were dissected and tested by ELISA. In all patient infections, more infected An. aquasalis and An. darlingi were positive for VK210 compared with VK247.

Gestão das Fundações e responsabilidade social

Pós-graduação em Serviço Social - FCHS

O pilão de pilar lembranças: a retórica confessional na poética memorialista de Carlos Drummond de Andrade

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Representações literárias da Rua do Ouvidor

Pós-graduação em Letras - IBILCE

Movimento Hip Hop paulistano: a produção artística dos racionais MC's

Pós-graduação em Letras - IBILCE

Filmes finos ferroelétricos do tipo PBCT, PBST e PCST: estudo experimental e teórico

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Retratos da arte e do artista: projeto autobiográfico de José Saramago

Pós-graduação em Letras - FCLAS