Barriers to cervical cancer screening in women attending the Family Medical Program in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro.

BACKGROUND: The Family Medical Program is a health care system in the Rio de Janeiro state. Women's health services offered by the Family Medical Program include preventive exams and screening, family planning, and prenatal follow-up. Although cervical cancer screening is offered, barriers to care still hinder the full success of the program, and we are attempting to identify these barriers. METHODS: We undertook a cross-sectional and prospective study involving 351 women who were referred to the Family Medical Program between March 2009 and November 2010. Demographic data were obtained through a structured household questionnaire. The dependent variable was defined as the non-realization of the Pap smear test following the protocol of the Health Ministry. Cervical samples for screening were collected after clinical examination. RESULTS: Women who had undergone Pap smear testing at least once every 3 years comprised 282 of the participants (80.3 %). Most of the women had normal or inflammatory cytology (96.3 %). Illiteracy and the absence of symptomatic episodes of sexually transmitted disease were independent barriers to having cancer screening at regular intervals. Illiterate women were more likely to be older, not to be using any contraceptive method, and on average had more than two children, more than four pregnancies, and more than two abortions. Embarrassment was the greatest barrier to seeking professional care reported by all women, regardless of level of educational attainment. Other important barriers to seeking care and/or screening included time constraints, due to work or childcare. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that the Family Medical Program effectively provides cervical cancer screening coverage for its eligible population, at the level mandated by the WHO and the Brazilian Health Ministry. Fully 96.3 % of the women in our study had normal or benign inflammation on cytology. Understanding of barriers to care-seeking behavior that limit program adherence is one way to facilitate communication between providers and patients regarding the benefits of cancer screening.

Human papillomavirus genotypes distribution in cervical samples from women living with human immunodeficiency virus.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and relationship of human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes in cervical samples from 140 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-seropositive women routinely attending an outpatient public gynecological service in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. METHODS: MY09/11 consensus primers were used to detect generic HPV DNA. HPV typification was performed by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis following polymerase chain reaction amplification. RESULTS: The overall HPV prevalence was 60.0%. The identification of 24 different HPV genotypes including uncommon types was performed. A9 oncogenic genotypes were present in 54.02% of HIV-positive women. Abnormal cervical lesions, the time since HIV diagnosis and the number of sexual partners contributed independently to the high oncogenic HPV prevalence. The oncogenic and non-oncogenic group were similarly affected by risk factors in contrast to negative HPV women. The frequency of multiple infections was 20%; furthermore, all of them presented at least one oncogenic type. CONCLUSION: The analyzed sample represents an epidemiological source of uncommon infection. Due to high HPV prevalence, more frequent cytological screening and/or liberal colposcopic evaluations should be performed in HIV-positive patients.

Prevalence of human papillomavirus infection in the genital tract determined by hybrid capture assay.

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the most prevalent sexually-transmitted virus worldwide. It is known to be the etiological agent of cervical cancer and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). Consequently, there is strong motivation to evaluate HPV testing in cervical cancer screening. Recently developed, the second generation of the hybrid capture test (HCA II) is a non-radioactive, relatively rapid, hybridization assay, designed to detect 18 HPV types divided into high and low-risk groups. We evaluated 7,314 patients (5,833 women and 1,481 men) for HPV infection by HCA II. Among them, 3,008 (41.1%) presented HPV infection: 430 (14.2%) had HPV DNA of low risk for cancer, 1,631 (54.2%) had high risk HPV types and 947 (31.5%) had both types. The prevalence in females was 44.9%. The prevalence of HPV DNA in the group for which cytological results were available was slightly higher: 55.3% (1007/1824). Significant differences were detected in the frequency of HPV infection of the cervix between normal cases and those with high-grade squamous-intraepithelial lesions (HSIL)(P<0.0001). Among males, the prevalence was 26.2%, composed of 9.1% in Group A, 9.7% in Group B and 7.4% with multiple infections. We observed that male prevalence was lower and that low-risk types were more frequent than in females. HPV viral load was significantly greater in SILs than in normal or inflammatory cases (P<0.0001), suggesting an association between high viral load values and risk of SIL. Because of high costs, the HCA II test cannot be recommended for routine mass screening for cervical infection in poor countries. Nevertheless, it was found to be a useful tool, when combined with cytology, discovering high-risk infections in apparently normal tissues and revealing silent infections that may be responsible for the maintenance of HPV in the general population. These findings point to the need for close and careful management of patients, thereby reducing overtreatment, allowing analysis of both sexual partners and finally contributing to the control of genital infections associated with a risk for cancer.

Human papillomavirus status and cervical abnormalities in women from public and private health care in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil.

This article reports the HPV status and cervical cytological abnormalities in patients attended at public and private gynecological services from Rio de Janeiro State. It also comments the performance of each HPV DNA tests used. A set of 454 women from private health clinics was tested by routine Capture Hybrid II HPV DNA assay. Among these, 58.4% presented HPV and nearly 90% of them were infected by high risk HPV types. However, this group presented few premalignant cervical lesions and no invasive cervical cancer was registered. We also studied 220 women from low income class attended at public health system. They were HPV tested by polymerase chain reaction using My09/11 primers followed by HPV typing with E6 specific primers. The overall HPV prevalence was 77.3%. They also showed a high percentage of high squamous intraepithelial lesion-HSIL (26.3%), and invasive cervical carcinoma (16.3%). HPV infection was found in 93.1% and 94.4% of them, respectively. The mean ages in both groups were 31.5 and 38 years, respectively. In series 1, HPV prevalence declined with age, data consistent with viral transient infection. In series 2, HPV prevalence did not decline, independent of age interval, supporting not only the idea of viral persistence into this group, but also regional epidemiological variations in the same geographic area. Significant cytological differences were seen between both groups. Normal and benign cases were the most prevalent cytological findings in series 1 while pre-malignant lesions were the most common diagnosis in the series 2. HPV prevalence in normal cases were statistically higher than those from series 1 (p<0.001), indicating a higher exposure to HPV infection. Women from both samples were referred for previous abnormal cytology. However, socio-demographic evidence shows that women from series 1 have access to treatment more easily and faster than women from series 2 before the development of pre-malignant lesions. These data provides baseline support for the role of social inequalities linked to high risk HPV infection leading to cervical cancer. Broadly screening programs and the development of safe and effective vaccines against HPV would diminish the toll of this disease that affect mainly poor women.

Detection of human papillomavirus DNA by the hybrid capture assay.

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the main cause of cervical cancers and cervical intraepithelial neoplasias (CIN) worldwide. Consequently, it would be useful to evaluate HPV testing to screen for cervical cancer. Recently developed, the second-generation Hybrid Capture (HCA II) test is a non-radioactive, relatively rapid, liquid hybridization assay designed to detect 18 HPV types, divided into high and low-risk groups. We evaluated 1055 women for HPV infection with the HCA II test. Five hundred and ten (48.3%) of these women had HPV infection; 60 (11.8%) had low cancer-risk HPV DNA; 269 (52.7%) had high-risk HPV types and 181 (35.5%) had both groups. Hence, 450 women (88.2%) in this HPV-infected group had at least one high risk HPV type, and were therefore considered to be at high risk for cancer. Among the group with Papanicolaou (Pap) test results, the overall prevalence of HPV DNA was 58.4%. Significant differences in HPV infection of the cervix were detected between Pap I (normal smears) and Pap IV (carcinomas) (p<0.0001). Values of HPV viral load obtained for Pap I and SILs were significantly different, with an upward trend (p<0.0001), suggesting a positive correlation between high viral load values and risk of SIL. Because of the high costs of the HCA II test, its use for routine cervical mass screening cannot be recommended in poor countries. Nevertheless, it is a useful tool when combined with cytology, diagnosing high-risk infections in apparently normal tissues. Use of this technique could help reduce the risk of cancer.

Identification of human papillomavirus type 53 L1, E6 and E7 variants in isolates from Brazilian women.

Human papillomavirus type 53 (HPV 53), which belongs to genus Alpha, species A6, has spread among women worldwide. Although it is classified as a probably high risk type, the association between HPV 53 and the development of neoplastic cervical disease is unclear, and HPV 53 is known to be genomically diverse. We investigated 15 cases of HPV 53 genital infection in women living in the state of Rio de Janeiro that were not associated with severe intraepithelial cervical neoplasia. To trace HPV 53 variants in this geographic area, we characterized the L1, E6 and E7 genes from these isolates, and undertook a phylogenetic analysis based on multiple alignment of their L1 sequences. After amplification and sequence analysis, we identified seven different L1-E6-E7 variants and a L1 co-infected isolate, which taken together had base pair changes at 29 different positions. The co-infected sample presented overlapped peaks at two positions. We also detected two new E6 genomic variants. Several base pair changes in the E6 region resulted in amino acid changes, three of which were non-conservative. The E7 gene was the most conserved sequence among those studied; in contrast, the E6 sequence reached a maximum difference of 2.79%. None of the HPV 53 isolates corresponded to the reference type. Dichotomical branching characteristic of HPV 53 was observed in all of the trees constructed, as well as in the concatenated phylogenetic tree. Probably, these variants pointing to evolutionary process, but they not appear to keep an increasing of pathogenesis Despite the limited number of samples analyzed in our work, we noticed that the same variant was found in more than one woman. Therefore, it is possible that such variants have been circulating in the female population in the state of Rio de Janeiro for a longer time or that due to host or genetic viral factors, these variants can spread more rapidly than others.

Epstein Barr virus detection in cervical samples of women living with human immunodeficiency virus.

Epstein Barr virus (EBV) is transmitted commonly by saliva, but it has been found in genital secretions, which suggests sexual transmission and led researchers to connect EBV and cervical neoplasia. People living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are reported to be at high risk of acquiring genital infections and cervical lesions. To verify the presence of EBV in the genital tract and/or it could affect cervical changes, we analyzed cervical smears from 85 HIV seropositive women for EBV DNA determination. EBV was only detected in two (2.3%) samples. The present study provides neither evidence for EBV as sexually transmitted infection nor discards this possibility.

Epstein Barr virus detection in cervical samples of women living with human immunodeficiency virus / Detecção do vírus Epstein-Barr em amostras cervicais de mulheres infectadas pelo vírus da imunodeficiência humana

Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) is transmitted commonly by saliva, but it has been found in genital secretions, which suggests sexual transmission and led researchers to connect EBV and cervical neoplasia. People living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are reported to be at high risk of acquiring genital infections and cervical lesions. To verify the presence of EBV in the genital tract and/or it could affect cervical changes, we analyzed cervical smears from 85 HIV seropositive women for EBV DNA determination. EBV was only detected in two (2.3 percent) samples. The present study provides neither evidence for EBV as sexually transmitted infection nor discards this possibility.

O vírus Epstein-Barr (EBV) é transmitido comumente pela saliva, mas pode ser encontrado também em secreções genitais, sugerindo transmissão sexual e levando pesquisadores a associar este vírus à neoplasia cervical. Pessoas infectadas pelo virus da imunodeficiência humana (HIV) são de alto risco para aquisição de infecções genitais e lesões de cérvice uterina. Com o objetivo de verificar a presença do DNA do EBV no trato genital e/ou se poderia ter efeito em alterações cervicais, analisamos esfregaços cervicais de 85 mulheres HIV soropositivas. O vírus foi detectado em apenas duas (2,3 por cento) amostras. O presente estudo não fornece evidência da transmissão sexual do EBV, nem descarta esta possibilidade.

Update in the human papillomavirus infection prevalence rates and risk fators associated with penile cancer cases / Atualização no conhecimento acerca da prevalência das infecções Causadas pelos papilomavírus humanos e fatores de risco associados aos casos de câncer de pênis

O carcinoma de pênis é uma doença rara e potencialmente mutilante, com etiologia ainda pouco conhecida. A infecção pelo papilomavírus humano (HPV) parece ter um papel importante no desenvolvimento de um subgrupo desses carcinomas e a sua presença parece estar relacionada com determinados tipos histológicos. A prevalência do HPV em tumores de pênis é descrita como sendo associada a uma variedade de alterações morfológicas. Recentemente,houve um aumento de conhecimento acerca da patogênese do câncer de pênis, dos fatores de risco associados ao desenvolvimento das lesões precursoras relacionadas com essa doença. Embora o carcinoma de pênis seja reconhecido como um processo que ocorre em várias etapas, demonstrando um perfil policlonal, uma parte dos carcinomas de pênis é atribuída à infecção pelo HPV de alto risco, enquanto nos outros carcinomas de pênis, mecanismos moleculares independentes do HPV podem apresentar papel subjacente relevante. Entretanto, mais pesquisas sobre os mecanismos por trás da carcinogênese são necessárias.

Penile carcinoma is an uncommon and potentially mutilating disease with a still unknown etiology. Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection seems to playan important role in the development of a subset of these carcinomas and its presence is thought to be related to the histological type of the lesion. HPV prevalence in penile tumors is reported to be associated to a variety of morphological changes. In recent years, increased insight has been gained into the pathogenesis of penile cancer, the risk factors associated with penile cancer development and the clinical and histological precursor lesions related to this disease. Although penile carcinoma is recognized to be a multi-step process showing a polyclonal profile, a proportion of penile carcinoma is attributable to high risk HPV infection, while in the remaining penile cancers molecular mechanisms independent of HPV are likely to represent the more common underlying events. However, research on the mechanisms behind penile carcinogenesis is warranted.

Comparação de dois pares de oligonucleotídeos utilizados na reação em cadeia da polimerase para detecção de Papilomavírus Humanos em esfregaços cervicais / Comparison of two pairs of primers used in polymerase chain reaction for the detection of Hunan Papillomaviruses in cervical smears

Introdução: o câncer de colo de útero é a neoplasia mais frequente em mulheres de países em desenvolvimento. Grande parte desses casos é causada por infecção persistente com diferentes tipos de papilomavírus humano (HPV) classificados em alto e baixo risco de acordo com o potencial oncogênico. Atualmente, acredita-se que a melhor rotina de identificação e acompanhamento das lesões por HPV de forma a prevenir o câncer cervical é a combinação da técnica de Papanicolaou com a reação em cadeia por polimerase (PCR) na qual ocorre a amplificação de regiões conservadas do genoma viral, com uso de primers degenerados e em seguida identificação do tipo viral. O primer mais utilizado em todo o mundo é o MY09/11, com boa sensibilidade e especificidade. Recentemente, foi descrito na literatura um novo conjunto de primers consensuais denominado PGMY reformulando o primer MY e adicionando um novo primer HMBO visando diminuir perdas do MY (falso negativo). Objetivo: comparar os dois pares de primers, MY e PGMY, a fim de apontar aquele mais adequado para o rastreamento de infecções causadas por HPV no colo uterino pela técnica de reação em cadeia da polimerase. Métodos: avaliamos 116 amostras de esfregaços cervicais. Após a extração do DNA, a técnica de PCR foi realizada de acordo com os protocolos descritos na literatura. Resultados: através desse trabalho, observamos que o par de primers PGMY apresenta maior sensibilidadee especificidade na detecção do DNA do HPV quando comparado com o par de primers MY, além de melhores valores preditivos negativo e positivo. Conclusão: o novo par de primers PGMY, deve ser usado para substituir o par MY a fim de melhorar a detecção do DNA viral.

Introduction: cervical cancer is the most frequent neoplasia among the women of countries in development. Great part of those cases is caused by persistent infection with different types of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) classified as high and low risk, according to the risk of cervical cancer development. Nowadays, it is believed that the best identification routine and follow up of the lesions in order to prevent the malignant transformation is the combination of the technique of Papanicolaou with the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), in which the amplification of conserved areas of the viral genome occurs, with use of degenerate primers, followed by type identification. The degenerate primers MY 09/11 are used worldwide, presenting good sensibility and specificity. Recently, a new group of consensual primers denominated PGMY was described in the literature reformulating the primer MY and adding a new primer HMBO seeking to reduce losses of MY (false negative). Objective: compare two pairs of primers, MY and PGMY, to discorer the most appropriate for the diagnosis of infections caused by HPV in the uterine cervix for the technique of Polymerase chain reaction. Methods: a hundred and sixteen samples from cervical smears were evaluated. After DNA extraction, the PCR was done according to the protocols described in the literature. Results: we observed that the primers pair PGMY presents better sensibility and specificity in the detection of DNA of HPV when compared to the primers pair MY, it also presents better negative and positive predictive values. Conclusion: the new primers pair PGMY should be used to substitute the pair MY to improve the detection of the viral DNA.

Avaliação do uso combinado do teste de triagem de papanicolaou e da reação em cadeia da polimerase para identificação de pacientes em risco de câncer cervical / Evaluation of the combined use of papanicolaou screen test and polymerase chain reaction for the identification of patients at risk of cervical cancer

Introduction: in the last few years, the interest on Human Papillomavirus (HPV) has emerged due to the evidence of their carcinogenic potential,especially on the female genital tract. In the last fi fty years, the screening diagnosis has been carried out by Papanicolaou test (Pap). Nevertheless,literature describes a high rate of false-negative and false-positive samples. Objective: since an early detection is crucial to diminish the risk of cervical cancer, we aimed to analyze the use of HPV DNA detection by PCR as complementary test to routine screening. Methods: nearly 450 female smears were obtained from the DNA Bank of the Virological Diagnosis Laboratory from UFF. HPV prevalence was evaluated by using MY09/11 consensus primers and was compared to Pap test. Results: our results showed that 67.5% of the studied samples were normal tissues, among them 85.6% were negative by PCR but 14.4% were HPV infected. The remaining 32.8% were altered by Pap test. Among them, HPV DNA detection by PCR revealed a prevalence of 56.7% in ASCUS, 87.5% in LSIL and 66,6% in carcinoma. Kappa index showed a good agreement between tests (0.80). The Positive Predictive Value was considered low (58%) pointing out that important cases may be misdiagnosed as false-negatives. On the other hand, the Negative Predictive Value was considered high (90,5%) indicating that PCR should not be used as a screening test, but as a complementary one, revealing true negatives when associated to a normal result in Pap test. HPV positive samples detected by MY PCR were typed and the prevalence obtained for the different types was: 48% HPV 16, 17% HPV 33, 13% HPV 18, 18% HPV 6 and 19% were undetermined because of non tested primers or technical problems. Conclusion: analyzing the results we concluded the combination of both tests is the best diagnostic procedure, allowing a more effi cient evaluation of cancer risk and thus helping in prevention programs.

Introdução: nos últimos anos, o interesse pelo estudo dos papilomavírus humanos (HPV) aumentou, uma vez demonstrada a evidência de seu potencial oncogênico, especialmente no trato genital feminino. A partir de 1950, o rastreamento das lesões genitais foi feito pelo teste de Papanicolaou (colpocitologia oncótica). Entretanto, a literatura o atribui altas taxas de falso-positivos e negativos. Objetivo: uma vez que a detecção precoce é crucial para prevenção do câncer cervical, analisamos o uso do PCR para detecção do DNA do HPV como teste complementar à atual rotina diagnóstica. Métodos: cerca de 450 esfregaços cervicais foram obtidos do banco de amostras do Laboratório de Diagnóstico Virológico da UFF. A prevalência do HPV foi avaliadapelo uso de primers consensuais MY09/11. Resultados: nossos resultados mostraram que 67,5% das amostras eram normais e dentre eles, 85,6% eram negativas pelo PCR, mas 14,4% estavam infectadas. As 32,5% amostras restantes tinham preventivo alterado e com alta prevalência de infecções por HPV, oscilando de 56,7% em ASCUS a 87,5% em LSIL. O índice Kappa apresentou boa concordância entre os testes (0,80). O valor preditivo positivo foi baixo (58%) indicando que casos relevantes podem ser subdiagnosticados como falso-negativos. Por outro lado, o valor preditivo positivo foi elevado (90,5%) revelando que o PCR, embora não deva ser usado como método de triagem, tem importante papel complementar ao preventivo, apontando os verdadeiros negativos, quando associado à colpocitologia oncótica normal. Amostras positivas para HPV pelo PCR-MY foram tipadas e a prevalência obtida revelou 48% HPV 16, 17% HPV 33, 13% HPV 18, 18% HPV 6 e 19% de HPV indeterminados. Conclusão: nossos resultados indicam que o uso combinado de ambos os testes parece ser a conduta diagnóstica mais adequada, permitindo avaliação efi ciente do risco de câncer e assim colaborar em programas de prevenção.

Prevalence of human papillomavirus infection in the genital tract determined by hybrid capture assay

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the most prevalent sexually-transmitted virus worldwide. It is known to be the etiological agent of cervical cancer and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). Consequently, there is strong motivation to evaluate HPV testing in cervical cancer screening. Recently developed, the second generation of the hybrid capture test (HCA II) is a non-radioactive, relatively rapid, hybridization assay, designed to detect 18 HPV types divided into high and low-risk groups. We evaluated 7,314 patients (5,833 women and 1,481 men) for HPV infection by HCA II. Among them, 3,008 (41.1 percent) presented HPV infection: 430 (14.2 percent) had HPV DNA of low risk for cancer, 1,631 (54.2 percent) had high risk HPV types and 947 (31.5 percent) had both types. The prevalence in females was 44.9 percent. The prevalence of HPV DNA in the group for which cytological results were available was slightly higher: 55.3 percent (1007/1824). Significant differences were detected in the frequency of HPV infection of the cervix between normal cases and those with high-grade squamous-intraepithelial lesions (HSIL)(P<0.0001). Among males, the prevalence was 26.2 percent, composed of 9.1 percent in Group A, 9.7 percent in Group B and 7.4 percent with multiple infections. We observed that male prevalence was lower and that low-risk types were more frequent than in females. HPV viral load was significantly greater in SILs than in normal or inflammatory cases (P<0.0001), suggesting an association between high viral load values and risk of SIL. Because of high costs, the HCA II test cannot be recommended for routine mass screening for cervical infection in poor countries. Nevertheless, it was found to be a useful tool, when combined with cytology, discovering high-risk infections in apparently normal tissues and revealing silent infections that may be responsible for the maintenance of HPV in the general population. These findings point...

Human papillomavirus status and cervical abnormalities in women from public and private health care in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil / Papilomavírus humano e anormalidades cervicais em mulheres do sistema de saúde privado e público no Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

This article reports the HPV status and cervical cytological abnormalities in patients attended at public and private gynecological services from Rio de Janeiro State. It also comments the performance of each HPV DNA tests used. A set of 454 women from private health clinics was tested by routine Capture Hybrid II HPV DNA assay. Among these, 58.4 percent presented HPV and nearly 90 percent of them were infected by high risk HPV types. However, this group presented few premalignant cervical lesions and no invasive cervical cancer was registered. We also studied 220 women from low income class attended at public health system. They were HPV tested by polymerase chain reaction using My09/11 primers followed by HPV typing with E6 specific primers. The overall HPV prevalence was 77.3 percent. They also showed a high percentage of high squamous intraepithelial lesion-HSIL (26.3 percent), and invasive cervical carcinoma (16.3 percent). HPV infection was found in 93.1 percent and 94.4 percent of them, respectively. The mean ages in both groups were 31.5 and 38 years, respectively. In series 1, HPV prevalence declined with age, data consistent with viral transient infection. In series 2, HPV prevalence did not decline, independent of age interval, supporting not only the idea of viral persistence into this group, but also regional epidemiological variations in the same geographic area. Significant cytological differences were seen between both groups. Normal and benign cases were the most prevalent cytological findings in series 1 while pre-malignant lesions were the most common diagnosis in the series 2. HPV prevalence in normal cases were statistically higher than those from series 1 (p < 0.001), indicating a higher exposure to HPV infection. Women from both samples were referred for previous abnormal cytology. However, socio-demographic evidence shows that women from series 1 have access to treatment more easily and faster than women from series 2 before the development of pre-malignant lesions...

Este artigo analisa a infecção por HPV e anormalidades citológicas cervicais encontradas em pacientes atendidas em serviços ginecológicos dos sistemas de saúde público e privado do estado do Rio de Janeiro. O trabalho também avalia os testes utilizados para detecção de DNA do HPV em cada população estudada. Um grupo de 454 mulheres oriundas de serviços da rede privada de saúde foi testado por Captura do Híbrido II. Destas, 58,4 por cento apresentaram infecção por HPV e cerca de 90 por cento delas estavam infectadas por HPV de alto risco. Este grupo, entretanto, apresentava poucos casos de lesões cervicais pré-malígnas e nenhum caso de câncer. Estudamos, também, 220 mulheres de baixo nível econômico atendidas no serviço de saúde pública que foram testadas para HPV pela reação da polimerase em cadeia utilizando-se os oligonucleotídeos My09/My11. A identificação dos tipos foi efetuada por amplificação com oligonucleotídeos específicos para a região E6 do genoma viral. A prevalência de HPV nesta população foi de 77.3 por cento, observando-se uma alta porcentagem de casos de neoplasias intraepiteliais cervicais de alto grau (26,3 por cento) e de carcinoma cervical invasivo (16,3 por cento). A infecção por HPV foi achada em, respectivamente, 93,1 por cento e 94,4 por cento destes casos. A média de idade em ambos os grupos era de 31,5 e 38 anos, respectivamente. Na série 1, a prevalência da infecção por HPV decresce com a idade, enquanto na série 2 ela não desaparece, dando suporte não só à idéia de persistência viral neste grupo, mas também a variações epidemiológicas na mesma área geográfica. Diferenças significativas foram vistas nos dois grupos. Casos normais e benignos foram incidentes na série 1, enquanto as lesões malígnas predominaram na série 2. Ao contrário, casos normais infectados por HPV eram prevalentes na série 2 (p < 0.001), indicando maior exposição ao vírus. Embora as mulheres de ambos os grupos tenham sido incluídas no estudo por apresentarem citologia anormal, evidências sócio-demográficas demonstram que mulheres da série 1 tem acesso mais fácil e rápido ao tratamento do que as mulheres da série 2 antes que as lesões pré-malígnas se desenvolvam...

Hepatitis B infection among patients attending a sexually transmitted diseases clinic in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) has a low endemicity in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Sexual transmission must play an important role in this virus, but the prevalence and risk factors have never been properly investigated. The aim of this paper is to determine the prevalence and risk factors for HBV infection in patients attending a Sexually Transmitted Diseases Clinic of the Universidade Federal Fluminense, from the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In a retrospective study, HBV seroprevalence was investigated in 440 patients. Serum of each patient was assayed for antibodies against hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc), hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and antibodies against hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBs). Demographic and risk factor data were extracted from clinic notes. The overall seroprevalence of exposure markers for HBV (anti-HBc, HBsAg and anti-HBs) were 13 percent, 3.4 percent and 8.5 percent respectively. Homo/bisexual behaviour, anal intercourse, HIV infection, positive serology for syphilis and blood transfusion were predictors of the HBV exposure. Among demographic data, age and place of birth were associated with the anti-HBc seropositivity

Detection of human papillomavirus DNA by the hybrid capture assay

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the main cause of cervical cancers and cervical intraepithelial neoplasias (CIN) worldwide. Consequently, it would be useful to evaluate HPV testing to screen for cervical cancer. Recently developed, the second-generation Hybrid Capture (HCA II) test is a non-radioactive, relatively rapid, liquid hybridization assay designed to detect 18 HPV types, divided into high and low-risk groups. We evaluated 1055 women for HPV infection with the HCA II test. Five hundred and ten (48.3 percent) of these women had HPV infection; 60 (11.8 percent) had low cancer-risk HPV DNA; 269 (52.7 percent) had high-risk HPV types and 181 (35.5 percent) had both groups. Hence, 450 women (88.2 percent) in this HPV-infected group had at least one high risk HPV type, and were therefore considered to be at high risk for cancer. Among the group with Papanicolaou (Pap) test results, the overall prevalence of HPV DNA was 58.4 percent. Significant differences in HPV infection of the cervix were detected between Pap I (normal smears) and Pap IV (carcinomas) (p<0.0001). Values of HPV viral load obtained for Pap I and SILs were significantly different, with an upward trend (p<0.0001), suggesting a positive correlation between high viral load values and risk of SIL. Because of the high costs of the HCA II test, its use for routine cervical mass screening cannot be recommended in poor countries. Nevertheless, it is a useful tool when combined with cytology, diagnosing high-risk infections in apparently normal tissues. Use of this technique could help reduce the risk of cancer

Human papillomavirus infection and cervical cancer in Brazil: a retrospective study

Two hundred and thirty paraffin-embedded biopsies obtained from female cervical lesions were tested for the presence of human papillomavirus (HPV) types 6/11, 16/18 and 31/33/35 DNA using non-isotopic in situ hybridization. Specimens were classified according to the Bethesda System in low grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL), high grade SIL (HSIL) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). HPV prevalence ranged from 92.5 per cent in LSIL to 68.5 per cent in SCC. Benign types were prevalent in LSILs while oncogenic types infected predominantly HSILs and SCC. HPV infection showed to be age-dependent, but no significant relation to race has been detected. Patients were analyzed through a five-year period: 20.7 per cent of the lesions spontaneously regressed while 48.9 per cent persisted and 30.4 per progressed to carcinoma. Patient submitted to treatment showed a 19.4 per cent recurrence rate. High risk types were present in 78.6 per cent (CrudeOR 13.8, P=0.0003) of the progressive lesions, and in 73.7 per cent of the recurrent SILs (COR 19.3, P=0.0000001). Possible co-factors have also been evaluated: history of other sexually transmitted diseases showed to be positively related either to progression (Adjusted OR 13.0, P=0.0002) or to recurrence (AOR 17.2, P=0.0002) while oral contraceptive use and tobacco smoking were not significantly related to them (P>0.1). Association of two or more co-factors also proved to be related to both progression and recurrence, indicating that they may interact with HPV infection in order to increase the risk of developing malignant lesions.

Detecção de papilomavírus humanos pela técnica de captura do híbrido no trato genital masculino / Human papillomavirus detection by the hybrid capture assay in the male genital tract

Estudo das infecções genitais causadas pelo HPV, determinando a prevalência dos tipos de HPV noa pacientes masculinos

Human papillomavirus infection: correlation of colposcopy, cytology, hystopathology and in situ hybridization

Duzentas e vinte e cinco biópsias de lesoes cervicais, obtidas de pacientes atendidas no Hospital Luíza Gomes de Lemos (INCa), foram analisadas pelas seguintes metodologias: colposcopia, citologia, histopatologia e hibridizaçao in situ (IS). O diagnóstico citológico apresentou alta sensibilidade (97,6 por cento) e especificidade (78,9 por cento) quando comparado à histopatologia, método padrao de diagnóstico de lesSes cervicais. Entretanto, resultados falso-positivos foram demonstrados em 26,7 por cento dos casos de alteraçoes reativas/reparativas à citologia. A colposcopia também mostrou alta sensibilidade (81,7 por cento) e especificidade (80 por cento) mas 16,7 por cento dos exames resultaram em diagnóstico inconclusivo. A infecçao por papilomavírus humanos (HPVs) foi demosntrada pelo emprego da HIS usando sondas biotiniladas específicas para os HPVs 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33 e 35. Os HPVs 6 e 11, de baixo risco, prevaleceram em lesoes intrapteliais escamosas de baixo grau (LSILs)(30/49; 61,2 por cento), enquanto HPVs 16 e 18, oncogênicos, predominaram em lesoes de alto grau (HSILs)(33/81;40,7 por cento) e carcinomas (21/37,56,8 po cento). Os tipos 31, 33 e 35 foram detectados em 17,6 por cento das lesoes estudadas, predominando naquelas de alto grau. Esta alta prevalência indica a ocorrência de peculiaridades geográficas na distribuiçao de tipos de HPV em nosso país. A reaçao em cadeia da Polimerase (PCR) foi empregada afim de avaliar a eficácia da HIS e 91,7 por cento) dos casos testados resultaram concordantes. Comparando os três métodos empregados na rotina diagnóstica (citologia, colposcopia e histopatologia), encontramos uma taxa de concordância de 61,2 por cento. Resultados conflitantes foram apontados em 39,8 por cento das lesoes, sugerindo o emprego da HIS como um procedimento recomendável na elucidaçao de resultados inconclusivos, podendo assim contribuir para a prevençao do câncer cervical

Diagnóstico de lesöes causadas por papilomavírus humanos no trato genital masculino: correlaçåo da escopia genital, histologia e hibridizaçåo in situ / Diagnosis of human papillomavirus lesions in the male genital tract: correlation of peniscopy, histology and in situ hybridization

Foram avaliadas 79 lesöes genitais masculinas, suspeitas de infecçåo por papilomavírus humanos (HPVs). A correlaçåo dos testes de escopia e histologia foi de 68,4 por cento. A prevalência de HPV, pela hibridizaçåo in situ, foi de 67,1 por cento. O ADN viral foi detectado em 75 por cento dos condilomas e lesöes papulosas, 65 por cento das lesöes acetobrancas e 50 por cento dos carcinomas. A concordância com a escopia foi de 69,6 por cento. Cerca de 87 por cento das lesöes histológicas típicas continham HPVs. A associaçåo dos três métodos resultou em 60,8 por cento de concordância. O diagnóstico de condilomas e pápulas foi acurado. A confirmaçåo de HPV em lesöes acetobrancas foi menos eficaz, possivelmente devido a fatores inespecíficos, como inflamaçöes, fatoo que aponta a necessidade de definiçåo precisa de critérios de identificaçåo de HPV nestes casos. De modo geral, o uso combinado de escopia e histologia confere diagnóstico eficaz. A detecçåo de HPV por hibridizaçåo é essencial no esclarecimento de casos inconclusivos e a tipagem de HPVs oncogênicos em lesöes potencialmente pré-malignas é eficiente ferramenta de prevençåo do câncer

Seroepidemiologic survey for hepatitis A and B markers in health care studentes from a public university of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Com o objetivo de verificar a prevalência de marcadores da hepatite A e B, foram testados 127 soros de estudantes sadios da área de saúde de uma universidade pública do Rio de Janeiro. Verificou-se que 54,3//da amostra era positiva para anti-HAV e 1,6//para anti-HBs. Näo havia portadores para HBs. A mais alta prevalência de estudantes positivos para anti-HAV foi encontrada no curso de enfermagem (75,8//), e mais baixa em alunos do curso de medicina (30,0//). 79,6//dos estudantes com residência em Säo Gonçalo eram positivos para anti-HAV, refletindo as condiçöes ambientais desta cidade. Foi constatada uma associaçäo entre soropositividade para anti-HAV e condiçäo social dos estudantes