Association between histological findings, aminotransferase levels and viral genotype in chronic hepatitis C infection.

INTRODUCTION: The genomic heterogeneity of hepatitis C virus (HCV) influences liver disorders. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of HCV genotypes and to investigate the influence of these genotypes on disease progression. METHODS: Blood samples and liver biopsies were collected from HCV-seropositive patients for serological analysis, biochemical marker measurements, HCV genotyping and histopathological evaluation. RESULTS: Hepatitis C virus-ribonucleic acid (HCV-RNA) was detected in 107 patients (90.6% with genotype 1 and 9.4% with genotype 3). Patients infected with genotype 1 exhibited higher mean necroinflammatory activity and fibrosis. CONCLUSIONS: HCV genotype 1 was the most prevalent and was associated with greater liver dysfunction.

Association between histological findings, aminotransferase levels and viral genotype in chronic hepatitis C infection

Introduction: The genomic heterogeneity of hepatitis C virus (HCV) influences liver disorders. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of HCV genotypes and to investigate the influence of these genotypes on disease progression. Methods: Blood samples and liver biopsies were collected from HCV-seropositive patients for serological analysis, biochemical marker measurements, HCV genotyping and histopathological evaluation. Results: Hepatitis C virus-ribonucleic acid (HCV-RNA) was detected in 107 patients (90.6% with genotype 1 and 9.4% with genotype 3). Patients infected with genotype 1 exhibited higher mean necroinflammatory activity and fibrosis. Conclusions: HCV genotype 1 was the most prevalent and was associated with greater liver dysfunction. .

Colonização por Pseudomonas aeruginosa em pacientes com fibrose cística na região amazônica: efeito na função respiratória / Colonization by Pseudomonas aeruginosa in patients with cystic fibrosis in Amazonregion: effect on respiratory function

Objetivo: descrever as características espirométricas e clínicas dos pacientes com fibrose císticacolonizados por Pseudomonas aeruginosa atendidos no Hospital Universitário João de BarrosBarreto (HUJBB), no estado do Pará, Brasil. Método: estudo retrospectivo nos prontuários de 44pacientes, período de 1997-2007, que atenderam aos critérios de inclusão, sendo 14 colonizadospor P. aeruginosa. Resultados: no grupo colonizado 10 eram do sexo feminino; a idade média dossintomas iniciais foi de 0.3±0.6 anos, com diferença significativa quando comparado com pacientesnão colonizados (p<0.05). A idade média ao diagnóstico foi de 13.1±10.8 nos colonizados, todosapresentando sintomas respiratórios persistentes ao diagnóstico. A média dos valores percentuaispreditos das espirometrias, referentes à avaliação inicial e final, do grupo colonizado foiVEF1(60.0± 25.0%) e (47,82±16.1%) e FEF25-75%(42.5± 22.9%) e (26,5±17.9%) e no grupo nãocolonizado foi VEF1(79.2± 21.0%) e (79,6±18.0%) e FEF25-75%(69.2± 26.7%) e (68,9±26.8%),respectivamente (p<0.005). A média do escore de Shwachman inicial nos colonizados foi de42.9±13.5 e nos não colonizados foi de 68.4±15.1(p<0.0001) e na avaliação final foi de 36.6±18.7 e73.6±12.3 (p<0.0001), respectivamente. Os fatores relacionados aos óbitos foram: colonização porP. aeruginosa, estado nutricional deficiente e VEF1 reduzido. Conclusões: o comprometimento dafunção pulmonar foi maior entre os pacientes com fibrose cística colonizados por P. aeruginosa,apresentando idade média mais elevada ao diagnóstico do que em outros estados brasileiros. Hánecessidade de ações para diagnóstico precoce no estado do Pará, propiciando abordagemterapêutica eficaz com aumento da sobrevida e qualidade de vida destes indivíduos.

Objective: to evaluate spirometric and clinic characteristics of patients who present cystic fibrosisand who are attended at João de Barros Barreto University Hospital (HUJBB), in the State of Pará,Brazil. Methods: a retrospective study was performed with 44 patient records that were attended atHUJBB during the 1997 to 2007; these patients fit into inclusion criteria, in which 14 presented P.aeruginosa bacteria colony. Results: within the group, who was colonized by P. aeruginosa, tenpatients were women and the median age for their initial symptoms was of 0.3 ± 0.6 year which wassignificantly different when compared with patients who didn?t present the bacteria colony (p?0.05). The median age for diagnosis was of 13.1 ± 10.8 in colonized patients and all of thempresented respiratory symptoms pertaining to the diagnosis. The median of the predicted percentagevalues of spirometries for initial and final evaluation of the colonized group was VEF1 (60.0 ±25.0%) and (47,82 ± 16.1%) and FEF 25-75% (42.5 ± 22.9%) and (26.5 ± 17.9%), and in the noncolonizedgroup, the median was VEF1 (79.2 ± 21.0%) and (79,6 ± 18.0%) and FEF 25-75% (69.2± 26.7%) and (68.9 ± 26.8%), respectively (p? 0.005). The median initial Shwachman score in thecolonized patients was 42.9 ± 13.5 and in the non-colonized patients it was 68.4 ± 15.1 (p? 0.0001),and at the final evaluation the median was 36.6 ± 18.7 and 73.6 ± 12.3 (p? 0.0001), respectively.Factors related to deaths found in the study were related to P. aeruginosa colonization, inadequatenutritional status and reduced VEF1. Conclusions: in the studied casuistry, a larger damage torespiratory function in P. aeruginosa colonized group and older median age for diagnosis werefound in the State of Pará when compared to other Brazilian States. There is the need for actiontowards precocious diagnosis in the State of Pará so that an efficient therapeutic approach is put intopractice guiding to survival increase and quality of life for these individuals.

Genotipagem da resistência genotípica secundária aos antirretrovirais em pacientes com aids nos Estados do Pará e Amazonas, Brasil: 2002 a 2006 / Profile of secondary genotypic resistance to antiretroviral drugs in aids patients in the States of Pará and Amazonas, Brazil: 2002 to 2006

A resistência às drogas antirretrovirais resulta da incompleta supressão da replicação do HIV-1. O presente estudo caracterizou o perfil de resistência genotípica aos antirretrovirais (ARV) em amostras sorológicas de 127 pacientes HIV positivos, originárias dos Estados do Amazonas e Pará, Região Norte do Brasil, no período de 2002 a 2006. As amostras TM foram submetidas ao teste de resistência pelo kit ViroSeq Genotyping System. Considerando as informações genéticas obtidas das regiões da protease e / ou transcriptase reversa do HIV-1, a mutação M184V (81,1 per cent) foi a mais associada aos inibidores nucleosídicos da transcriptase reversa (ITRN), em indivíduos usando ARV no Estado do Pará, e a mutaçãoT215F/Y (56,3 per cent) em indivíduos do Estado do Amazonas. A mutação K103N foi a mais prevalente (33,5 per cent) para os inibidores não nucleosídicos da transcriptase reversa (ITRNN) em ambos os Estados. Para o gene da protease a mutação minor L63P (65,3 per cent) apresentou-se como a mais frequente em ambos os Estados...

Resistance to antiretroviral drugs results from the incomplete suppression of HIV-1 replication. The present study characterized the profile of genotypic resistance to antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) in serum samples from 127 HIV-positive patients from the States of Amazonas and Pará, in Northern Brazil, from 2002 to 2006. The samples were tested for TM resistance using the ViroSeq Genotyping System kit. Based on the genetic information obtained from the HIV-1 protease (PR) and / or reverse transcriptase (RT) genes, the M184V mutation (81.1 per cent) was the most frequently associated with resistance to nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) in individuals using ARVs in Pará, while the T215F/Ymutation (56.3 per cent) was the most frequently associated with resistance in individuals from Amazonas...

Ocorrência de Bocavírus Humano associado às infecções respiratórias agudas em crianças de 0 a 2 anos de idade na Cidade de Belém, Pará, Brasil / Ocurrence of Human Bocavirus associated with acute respiratory infections in children up to 2 years old in the City of Belém, Pará State, Brazil

INTRODUÇÃO: As Infecções Respiratórias Agudas (IRA) permanecem como um dos principais problemas de saúde pública em todo o mundo. Essas infecções são associadas a diversos patógenos sendo os vírus os prevalentes. Recentemente, foi descrito na literatura um novo parvovírus denominado Bocavírus Humano (HBoV). Investigações ainda são escassas na associação deste novo agente a casos de IRA na população em geral. Neste contexto, o presente artigo relata a pesquisa do HBoV em um segmento populacional da Amazônia. MATERIAIS E MÉTODOS: Neste estudo, foram analisadas amostras de aspirado nasofaríngeo de pacientes com diagnóstico de IRA atendidos ambulatorialmente na Cidade de Belém, Pará, Brasil. A pesquisa, com a identificação laboratorial do vírus, foi realizada mediante o emprego da técnica de reação em cadeia mediada pela polimerase, utilizando pares de oligonucleotídeos específicos, seguida da análise filogenética das sequências nucleotídicas encontradas. RESULTADOS: Das 397 amostras clínicas analisadas, encontrou-se positividade em amostras de três pacientes, sendo um destes em coinfecção com o vírus respiratório sincicial. DISCUSSÃO: O percentual de positividade obtido na investigação se revelou inferior ao descrito na literatura. Entretanto, vale ressaltar que os estudos já publicados envolveram pacientes hospitalizados, diferentemente do grupo populacional presentemente abordado. As análises filogenéticas realizadas evidenciaram expressiva similaridade dos vírus encontrados com as cepas virais já descritas. CONCLUSÃO: A presente pesquisa se caracteriza como o primeiro relato associando o HBoV à IRA na Região Amazônica.

INTRODUCTION: Acute Respiratory Infections (ARI) are one of the main public health problems in the world. Most of these infections are associated with several pathogens, and viruses are the most prevalent agents. Recently, a new parvovirus named Human Bocavirus (HBoV) has been described. Investigations on the relationship between this new agent and cases of ARI in individuals are still scarce. Herein, we review a study of HBoV in a population segment in the Amazon. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, samples of nasopharyngeal aspirates from patients with ARI treated in Health Care Units in Belém, Brazil, were analyzed. Identification of the virus was carried out by polymerase chain reaction using pairs of specific oligonucleotides, followed by phylogenetic analysis of the nucleotide sequences obtained. RESULTS: Of the 397 samples studied, three specimens were HBoV-positive, and one presented as a co-infection with the respiratory syncytial virus.DISCUSSION: The positivity rate obtained in this investigation was lower than that described in other studies; however, previous studies involved hospitalized patients, which constitute a different population group. The phylogenetic analyses revealed a significant similarity between the virus strains found and those previously described. CONCLUSION: This is the first report associating HBoV with ARI in the Amazon.