Clinical and epidemiological study of human papillomavirus infection in women with systemic lupus erythematosus in eastern brazilian amazon.

Cervical cancer, the second most common cancer affecting women in Northern Brazil, is strongly associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Diseases affecting the immune state of a patient, including autoimmune diseases like systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), can lead to persistent HPV infection and cancer. We evaluated cervical HPV prevalence and the associated risk factors in 70 women with SLE in the city of Belém, located in Brazilian Amazon. HPV DNA was detected by PCR using primers MY9 and MY11. HPV subtypes were determined by real-time PCR, using specific probes. Overall, prevalence of cervical HPV in women with SLE was 22.8%. HPV prevalence was significantly higher in younger women (aged 18-25 years; 75%, p< 0.0001), in women who had not given birth (50%, p = 0.01), and in women with no prior pregnancy (57%, p = 0.003). Five women (7.1%) had Pap smears with a cytopathological outcome suggestive of HPV; four of these women were HPV-positive. No women with both, SLE and HPV, had a normal Pap smear. Of the women diagnosed with SLE in the last 1-5 years, 75% was HPV-positive (p = 0.04). The two most prevalent HPV subtypes were HPV 58 (37.5%) and HPV 31 (31.3%). These results are important for understanding HPV infection in women with SLE and are valuable tools for developing cervical cancer prevention strategies and health management policies.

Branchial histopathological study of Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii ( Castelnau, 1855 ) in the Guajará bay, Belém, Pará State, Brazil / Estudo histopatológico da brânquia de Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii na baía do Guajará, Belém, Estado do Pará, Brasil

This work analyzes the morphological alterations in Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii gills and evaluates whether this species can be considered an environmental monitoring biomarker of Guajará Bay. Sampling was carried out in four areas around Belém, Brazil, in four annual periods: dry/wet season, wet season, wet/dry season and dry season. Water pH, temperature and suspended material were evaluated. A total of 36 specimens were collected. The second right gill arch of each animal was removed and immediately fixed and processed for histopathology analysis with light microscopy. The physicochemical analysis of the water during the study period showed slight acidity, temperature and material in suspension within normal levels. Histopathological analysis of the gills from 14 individuals from area I presented no alterations, and only 2 individuals from this area presented some significant type of alteration. In contrast, all individuals captured in areas II, III, and IV presented at least one of the following alterations: aneurism-like alterations, epithelial elevation, infiltration, cell proliferation and cell hypertrophy. Based on the gill histopathological analysis, this organ is considered a good biomarker and the native species B. rousseauxii could be used as a bioindicator for environmental monitoring.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi analisar as alterações morfológicas branquiais em Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii e verificar se esta espécie pode ser considerada como indicador biológico para o monitoramento ambiental da baía do Guajará. As coletas aconteceram em quatro áreas ao redor da cidade de Belém: I (controle), II, III e IV (forte influência antrópica), nos quatro períodos anuais: estação seco/chuvoso, estação chuvoso, estação chuvoso/seco e estação seco. Nesses períodos foram medidos pH, temperatura e material em suspensão. Foram capturados 36 exemplares. O segundo arco branquial direito de cada animal foi retirado, imediatamente fixado e processado para análise histopatológica. A análise físico-química da água revelou pH levemente ácido, a temperatura e o material em suspensão se encontravam nos parâmetros de normalidade. As análises histopatológicas das brânquias de 14 animais da área I não apresentaram alterações branquiais e somente dois revelaram algum tipo de alteração. Todos os indivíduos capturados nas áreas II, III e IV apresentaram pelo menos uma das seguintes alterações: aneurisma, elevação epitelial, infiltração, proliferação celular, fusão lamelar e hipertrofia celular. De acordo com as análises histopatológicas branquiais, este órgão é considerado como um bom biomarcador e a espécie nativa B. rousseauxii pode ser utilizada como bioindicador no monitoramento ambiental.