The role of the Notch signaling pathway in bacterial infectious diseases.

The Notch signaling pathway is the most crucial link in the normal operation and maintenance of physiological functions of mammalian life processes. Notch receptors interact with ligands and this leads to three cleavages and goes on to enter the nucleus to initiate the transcription of target genes. The Notch signaling pathway deeply participates in the differentiation and function of various cells, including immune cells. Recent studies indicate that the outcomes of Notch signaling are changeable and highly dependent on different bacterial infection. The Notch signaling pathway plays a different role in promoting and inhibiting bacterial infection. In this review, we focus on the latest research findings of the Notch signaling pathway in bacterial infectious diseases. The Notch signaling pathway is critically involved in a variety of development processes of immunosuppression of different APCs. The Notch signaling pathway leads to functional changes in epithelial cells to aggravate tissue damage. Specifically, we illustrate the regulatory mechanism of the Notch signaling pathway in various bacterial infections, such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis, Mycobacterium leprae, Helicobacter pylori, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Ehrlichia chaffeensis and sepsis. Collectively, this review will not only help beginners intuitively and systematically understand the Notch signaling pathway in bacterial infectious diseases but also help experts to generate fresh insight in this field.

Migration in French Guiana: Implications in health and infectious diseases.

In French Guiana, more than a third of the population, and nearly half of the adults, are of foreign origin. This immigration is explained by the French standard of living, which is attractive to nationals of surrounding countries. Infectious diseases remain in the top 10 causes of premature death, often in the most precarious populations. In this context we aimed to synthesize the state of the knowledge regarding immigration and infectious diseases in French Guiana and the general implications that follow this diagnosis. For HIV, although the majority of patients are of foreign origin, estimates of the presumed date of infection based on CD4 erosion modelling and from molecular analyses suggest that the majority of transmissions in foreign-born individuals occur in French Guiana and that the Guiana shield has been a crossroad between Latin America and the Caribbean. Among key populations bridging these regions illegal gold miners are very mobile and have the greatest proportion B Caribbean HIV viruses. Gold miners have been a key vulnerable population for falciparum malaria and other tropical diseases such as leishmaniasis, leprosy, or leptospirosis. The complex history of migrations in French Guiana and on the Guiana Shield is also reflected in the fingerprinting of mycobacterium tuberculosis and the high incidence of tuberculosis in French Guiana, notably in immigrants, reflects the incidences in the countries of origin of patients. The high burden of infectious diseases in immigrants in French Guiana is first and foremost a reflection of the precarious living conditions within French Guiana and suggests that community-based proactive interventions are crucial to reduce transmission, morbidity, and mortality from infectious diseases.

Producing context specific land cover and land use maps of human-modified tropical forest landscapes for infectious disease applications.

Satellite-based land cover mapping plays an important role in understanding changes in ecosystems and biodiversity. There are global land cover products available, however for region specific studies of drivers of infectious disease patterns, these can lack the spatial and thematic detail or accuracy required to capture key ecological processes. To overcome this, we produced our own Landsat derived 30 m maps for three districts in India's Western Ghats (Wayanad, Shivamogga and Sindhudurg). The maps locate natural vegetation types, plantation types, agricultural areas, water bodies and settlements in the landscape, all relevant to functional resource use of species involved in infectious disease dynamics. The maps represent the mode of 50 classification iterations and include a spatial measure of class stability derived from these iterations. Overall accuracies for Wayanad, Shivamogga and Sindhudurg are 94.7 % (SE 1.2 %), 88.9 % (SE 1.2 %) and 88.8 % (SE 2 %) respectively. Class classification stability was high across all three districts and the individual classes that matter for defining key interfaces between human habitation, forests, crop, and plantation cultivation, were generally well separated. A comparison with the 300 m global ESA CCI land cover map highlights lower ESA CCI class accuracies and the importance of increased spatial resolution when dealing with complex landscape mosaics. A comparison with the 30 m Global Forest Change product reveals an accurate mapping of forest loss and different dynamics between districts (i.e., Forests lost to Built-up versus Forests lost to Plantations), demonstrating an interesting complementarity between our maps and the % tree cover Global Forest Change product. When studying infectious disease responses to land use change in tropical forest ecosystems, we recommend using bespoke land cover/use classifications reflecting functional resource use by relevant vectors, reservoirs, and people. Alternatively, global products should be carefully validated with ground reference points representing locally relevant habitats.

Challenges and advances in serological and molecular tests to aid leprosy diagnosis.

Leprosy is a neglected chronic infectious disease caused by obligate intracellular bacilli, Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Despite multidrug therapy (MDT) success, leprosy accounts for more than 200,000 new cases yearly. Leprosy diagnosis remains based on the dermato-neurologic examination, but histopathology of skin biopsy and bacilloscopy of intradermal scraping are subsidiary diagnostic tests that require expertise and laboratory infrastructure. This minireview summarizes the state of the art of serologic tests to aid leprosy diagnosis, highlighting enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and point-of-care tests (POCT) biotechnologies. Also, the impact of the postgenomic era on the description of new recombinantly expressed M. leprae-specific protein antigens, such as leprosy Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI) diagnostic (LID)-1 is summarized. Highly specific and sensitive molecular techniques to detect M. leprae DNA as the quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and the loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) are briefly reviewed. Serology studies using phenolic glycolipid-I (PGL-I) semi-synthetic antigens, LID-1 fusion antigen, and the single fusion complex natural disaccharide-octyl (NDO)-LID show high sensitivity in multibacillary (MB) patients. However, serology is not applicable to paucibacillary patients, as they have weak humoral response and robust cell-mediated response, requiring tests for cellular biomarkers. Unlike ELISA-based tests, leprosy-specific POCT based on semi-synthetic PGL-I antigens and NDO-LID 1 antigen is easy to perform, cheaper, equipment-free, and can contribute to early diagnosis avoiding permanent incapacities and helping to interrupt M. leprae transmission. Besides its use to help diagnosis of household contacts or at-risk populations in endemic areas, potential applications of leprosy serology include monitoring MDT efficacy, identification of recent infection, especially in young children, as surrogate markers of disease progression to orient adult chemoprophylaxis and as a predictor of type 2 leprosy reactions. Advances in molecular biology techniques have reduced the complexity and execution time of qPCR confirming its utility to help diagnosis while leprosy-specific LAMP holds promise as an adjunct test to detect M. leprae DNA.

Reunión del Grupo Consultivo Estratégico y Técnico de la OPS sobre la eliminación de enfermedades. Informe de la reunión y recomendaciones. 29 y 30 de noviembre del 2022

La Organización Panamericana de la Salud (OPS) es un líder reconocido en la eliminación de enfermedades, que trabaja de la mano con los países de la Región y sus asociados con el fin de impulsar los logros en materia de salud pública a nivel regional y mundial. Estos esfuerzos han contribuido a la erradicación de la viruela, la eliminación de la poliomielitis y el tétanos neonatal de la Región de las Américas, la eliminación de la transmisión endémica del sarampión, la rubéola y el síndrome de rubéola congénita, así a como la eliminación de la transmisión maternoinfantil del VIH y la sífilis en ocho países. La Región también ha avanzado de manera considerable hacia la eliminación de la malaria, la lepra, el tracoma, la filariasis linfática, la oncocercosis y la rabia humana transmitida por perros. En septiembre del 2019, el 57.° Consejo Directivo de la OPS aprobó la Iniciativa de la OPS para la Eliminación de Enfermedades, una política innovadora que promueve un enfoque integrado y sostenible encaminado a acelerar el avance de los países hacia la eliminación de las enfermedades transmisibles y otras afecciones relacionadas. La eliminación de enfermedades se basa en la trayectoria eficaz de eliminación de enfermedades en la Región de las Américas y tiene como objetivo catalizar la voluntad política y aprovechar la capacidad técnica necesaria para lograr un futuro sin la carga de 35 enfermedades transmisibles y otras afecciones relacionadas en la Región de las Américas en el 2030 y contribuir al progreso hacia los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS). Al tiempo que los países se recuperan del impacto de la pandemia de COVID‑19, la OPS reconoció la importancia de convocar al Grupo Consultivo Estratégico y Técnico externo sobre eliminación de enfermedades con el objeto de hacer un balance del nuevo panorama de salud pública y las evoluciones recientes en la eliminación de enfermedades y buscar orientación y recomendaciones sobre temas prioritarios con el fin de respaldar la agenda de eliminación de enfermedades en la Región de las Américas. En el presente informe se presenta un resumen de los procedimientos, conclusiones y recomendaciones de la segunda reunión del Grupo Consultivo Estratégico y Técnico de la OPS sobre eliminación de enfermedades, que tuvo lugar el 29 y 30 de noviembre del 2022.

Current status of infectious diseases among migrants and non-citizens in Malaysia.

The mass movement of migrants to Malaysia for employment is one of the factors contributing to the emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases in this country. Despite mandatory health screening for migrants seeking employment, prevalence records of infectious diseases amongst migrant populations in Malaysia are still within negligible proportions. Therefore, the present review highlights the incidence, mortality and overall status of infectious diseases amongst migrants' populations in Malaysia, which maybe be useful for impeding exacerbation of inequalities among them and improving our national health system thru robust and effective emergency responses in controlling the prevalent diseases found among these populations and maybe, Malaysian citizens too. Peer-reviewed articles from January 2016 to December 2020 were searched through online platform including SCOPUS, PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar. Non-peer-reviewed reports and publications from ministry and government websites including data from related agencies were also scoured from in order to ensure that there are no cases being overlooked, as most published articles did not have migrants as the research subjects. A total of 29 studies had been selected in the final analysis. Migrants in Malaysia were at higher risk for tuberculosis, malaria, lymphatic filariasis, cholera, leprosy and leptospirosis. Lymphatic filariasis was still endemic among this population while thousand cases of TB and cholera had been reported among them due to cramp living conditions and poor sanitation in their settlements respectively. While malaria had gradually decreased and become sporadic, the influx of migrant workers had led to the rising of imported malaria cases. Low cases of leprosy had been recorded in Malaysia but a significant proportion of it was contributed by migrant workers. As for leptospirosis, studies found that there are prominent cases among migrant workers, which particularly highest within workers with lower educational attainment. Infectious diseases are still prevalent among migrants in Malaysia due to various interplay factors including their working sectors, country of origin, immunization status, type of settlement, impoverished living conditions, and language and cultural barriers that impeding access to health facilities.

[Overview of infectious and non-infectious diseases in French Guiana in 2022]. / Panorama des pathologies infectieuses et non infectieuses de Guyane en 2022.

Source of many myths, French Guiana represents an exceptional territory due to the richness of its biodiversity and the variety of its communities. The only European territory in Amazonia, surrounded by the Brazilian giant and the little-known Suriname, Ariane 6 rockets are launched from Kourou while 50% of the population lives below the poverty line. This paradoxical situation is a source of health problems specific to this territory, whether they be infectious diseases with unknown germs, intoxications or chronic pathologies.Some infectious diseases such as Q fever, toxoplasmosis, cryptococcosis or HIV infection are in common with temperate countries, but present specificities leading to sometimes different management and medical reasoning. In addition to these pathologies, many tropical diseases are present in an endemic and / or epidemic mode such as malaria, leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, histoplasmosis or dengue. Besides, Amazonian dermatology is extremely varied, ranging from rare but serious pathologies (Buruli ulcer, leprosy) to others which are frequent and benign such as agouti lice (mites of the family Trombiculidae) or papillonitis. Envenomations by wild fauna are not rare, and deserve an appropriate management of the incriminated taxon. Obstetrical, cardiovascular and metabolic cosmopolitan pathologies sometimes take on a particular dimension in French Guiana that must be taken into account in the management of patients. Finally, different types of intoxication are to be known by practitioners, especially due to heavy metals.European-level resources offer diagnostic and therapeutic possibilities that do not exist in the surrounding countries and regions, thus allowing the management of diseases that are not well known elsewhere.Thanks to these same European-level resources, research in Guyana occupies a key place within the Amazon region, despite a smaller population than in the surrounding countries. Thus, certain pathologies such as histoplasmosis of the immunocompromised patient, Amazonian toxoplasmosis or Q fever are hardly described in neighboring countries, probably due to under-diagnosis linked to more limited resources. French Guiana plays a leading role in the study of these diseases.The objective of this overview is to guide health care providers coming to or practicing in French Guiana in their daily practice, but also practitioners taking care of people returning from French Guiana.

Evolution of anti-malaria policies and measures in P.R. China for achieving and sustaining malaria-free.

Malaria is a major public health threat worldwide, and it was also widely prevalent in the history in China, seriously endangering people's health and affecting socioeconomic development. China was certified malaria elimination in 2021 with unremitting efforts since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. This great achievement has been another milestone in the fight against major infectious diseases following the elimination of smallpox, poliomyelitis, leprosy, filariasis, neonatal tetanus and blinding trachoma in China. This paper briefly introduces the malaria burden dynamics and the corresponding malaria transmission risk stratificantions, as well as systematically reviews the evolution of anti-malaria policies and measures from severe epidemic to elimination in China. Meanwhile, five key lessons in malaria control and elimination in China are also briefly summarized. All of the above provide evidences for promoting global malaria eradication and preventing reestablishment of malaria transmission, finally benefit all individuals still suffering from the scourge of malaria.

Endoplasmic reticulum stress mediates the myeloid-derived immune suppression associated with cancer and infectious disease.

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), which are immature heterogeneous bone marrow cells, have been described as potent immune regulators in human and murine cancer models. The distribution of MDSCs varies across organs and is divided into three subpopulations: granulocytic MDSCs or polymorphonuclear MDSCs (G-MDSCs or PMN-MDSCs), monocytic MDSCs (M-MDSCs), as well as a recently identified early precursor MDSC (eMDSCs) in humans. Activated MDSCs induce the inactivation of NK cells, CD4+, and CD8+ T cells through a variety of mechanisms, thus promoting the formation of tumor immunosuppressive microenvironment. ER stress plays an important protecting role in the survival of MDSC, which aggravates the immunosuppression in tumors. In addition, ferroptosis can promote an anti-tumor immune response by reversing the immunosuppressive microenvironment. This review summarizes immune suppression by MDSCs with a focus on the role of endoplasmic reticulum stress-mediated immune suppression in cancer and infectious disease, in particular leprosy and tuberculosis.

Unwelcome prevalence of leishmaniasis with several other infectious diseases.

Co-infection among leishmaniasis and other infectious diseases is common among natural populations especially in the endemic areas of the disease. It depends on the environmental factors, vector availability, host-parasite interactions and above all geographical boundaries. Leishmaniasis being an immunosuppressive disease empowers the invading opportunistic infections to invade and successfully colonize. A variety of infections coexist with leishmaniasis like HIV, leprosy, tuberculosis, schistosomiasis etc. With the different pathology and immune status, co-infection in most cases leads to disease severity and increased mortality.Inevitably, co-infection increases the complexity and poses a threat in the cure and control programmes. This is the first review which highlights the existing co-infections of leishmaniasis with other infectious diseases. The review also focuses on the immunology of co-infections together, diagnosis and the treatment options available for treating such cases. With the changing environment and the overlapping endemic areas of leishmaniasis with other diseases, it becomes difficult to treat a disease without accurate diagnosis. Thus, the review insists on the need for more research on development of newer and differential diagnostic methods for co-infected individuals with theoverlapping symptoms.

Living in endemic area for infectious diseases accelerates epigenetic age.

Inflammaging is a low-grade inflammatory state generated by the aging process that can contribute to frailty and age-related diseases in the elderly. However, it can have distinct effects in the elderly living in endemic areas for infectious diseases. An increased inflammatory response may confer protection against infectious agents in these areas, although this advantage can cause accelerating epigenetic aging. In this study, we evaluated the inflammatory profile and the epigenetic age of infected and noninfected individuals from an endemic area in Brazil. The profile of cytokines, chemokines and growth factors analyzed in the sera of the two groups of individuals showed similarities, although infected individuals had a higher concentration of these mediators. A significant increase in IL-1ra, CXCL8, CCL2, CCL3 and CCL4 production was associated with leprosy infection. Notably, elderly individuals displayed distinct immune responses associated with their infection status when compared to adults suggesting an adaptive remodelling of their immune responses. Epigenetic analysis also showed that there was no difference in epigenetic age between the two groups of individuals. However, individuals from the endemic area had a significant accelerated aging when compared to individuals from São Paulo, a non-endemic area in Brazil. Moreover, the latter cohort was also epigenetically aged in relation to an Italian cohort. Our data shows that living in endemic areas for chronic infectious diseases results in remodelling of inflammaging and acceleration of epigenetic aging in individuals regardless of their infectious status. It also highlights that geographical, genetic and environmental factors influence aging and immunosenescence in their pace and profile.

The Awesome Power of Human Genetics of Infectious Disease.

Since the identification of sickle cell trait as a heritable form of resistance to malaria, candidate gene studies, linkage analysis paired with sequencing, and genome-wide association (GWA) studies have revealed many examples of genetic resistance and susceptibility to infectious diseases. GWA studies enabled the identification of many common variants associated with small shifts in susceptibility to infectious diseases. This is exemplified by multiple loci associated with leprosy, malaria, HIV, tuberculosis, and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which illuminate genetic architecture and implicate pathways underlying pathophysiology. Despite these successes, most of the heritability of infectious diseases remains to be explained. As the field advances, current limitations may be overcome by applying methodological innovations such as cellular GWA studies and phenome-wide association (PheWA) studies as well as by improving methodological rigor with more precise case definitions, deeper phenotyping, increased cohort diversity, and functional validation of candidate loci in the laboratory or human challenge studies.

Paracoccidioidomicose afetando a mucosa bucal: relato de caso / Paracoccidioidomycosis affecting the buccal mucosa: case report / Paracoccidioidomicosis con afectación de la mucosa oral: relato de caso

Introdução: A paracoccidioidomicose é uma infecção micótica sistêmica com manifestações pulmonares primária que podem apresentar lesões cutâneas e orais. É mais comum no Brasil e em alguns outros países da América Latina, representando um importante problema de saúde pública devido às suas características potencialmente fatais. Relato de caso: Trabalhador rural de 53 anos, fumante e etilista, apresentando lesão ulcerada de aspecto moriforme em mucosa bucal direita. Realizou-se biópsia incisional cujo laudo histopatológico foi de paracoccidioidomicose. O paciente foi encaminhado ao médico infectologista para tratamento por meio de itraconazol (200mg por dia) por 18 meses. Após 03 meses de tratamento já apresentava regressão da lesão. Considerações Finais: Portanto, o objetivo deste trabalho é enfatizar a importância do cirurgião-dentista no reconhecimento das lesões oral e realização da biópsia para o correto diagnóstico e manejo desta doença por meio de um relato de caso clínico... (AU)

Paracoccidioidomycosis is a systemic mycotic infection with primary pulmonary manifestations that can present cutaneous and oral lesions. It is more common in Brazil and some other Latin American countries, representing an important public health problem due to its potentially fatal characteristics. Case report: 53-year-old rural worker, smoker and drinker, presenting an ulcerated lesion with a moriform aspect in the right oral mucosa. An incisional biopsy was performed, and the histopathological report was of paracoccidioidomycosis. The patient was referred to the infectious disease physician for treatment with itraconazole (200mg per day) for 18 months. After 03 months of treatment, he already had regression of the lesion. Final Considerations: Therefore, the objective of this paper is to emphasize the importance of the dentist in recognizing oral lesions and performing a biopsy for the correct diag... (AU)

La paracoccidioidomicosis es una infección micótica sistémica con manifestaciones pulmonares primarias que pueden presentar lesiones cutáneas y bucales. Es más común en Brasil y algunos otros países de América Latina, lo que representa un importante problema de salud pública debido a sus características potencialmente fatales. Caso clínico: trabajador rural de 53 años, fumador y bebedor, con lesión ulcerada de aspecto moriforme en mucosa oral derecha. Se realizó biopsia incisional y el informe histopatológico fue de paracoccidioidomicosis. El paciente fue remitido al médico de enfermedades infecciosas para tratamiento con itraconazol (200 mg al día) durante 18 meses. Después de 03 meses de tratamiento, ya tenía regresión de la lesión. Consideraciones finales: Por lo tanto, el objetivo de este trabajo es enfatizar la importancia del odontólogo en el reconocimiento de las lesiones bucales y la realización de una biopsia para el correcto diagnóstico y manejo de esta enfermedad a través de la presentación de un caso clínico... (AU)

Perfil clínico-epidemiológico das pessoas acometidas por hiv/aids, tuberculose e hanseníase no paraná, brasil, 2010-2019 / Perfil clínico-epidemiológico de las personas afectadas por vih/sida, tuberculosis y lepra en paraná, brasil, 2010-2019 / Clinical-epidemiological profile of people affected by hiv/aids, tuberculosis and leprosy in paraná, brazil, 2010-2019

RESUMO Objetivo: caracterizar o perfil cínico-epidemiológico das pessoas acometidas por HIV/AIDS, tuberculose e hanseníase no Paraná, entre 2010 e 2019. Método: estudo descritivo, de abordagem quantitativa, com dados provenientes do Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação. A população foi definida como os casos novos de HIV/AIDS, tuberculose e hanseníase notificados entre 2010e 2019, no Paraná. Para a análise, foram utilizadas técnicas de estatística descritiva. Resultados: entre 2010 e 2019, foram registrados 14.149 casos de HIV/AIDS, 7.868 de hanseníase e 22.147 de tuberculose. Houve predomínio de casosentre homens, com raça/cor branca e ensino fundamental (in)completo para os três agravos. Evidenciou-se maior número de notificações do HIV/AIDS entre adolescentes e adultos com até 39 anos, da tuberculose entre adultos em fase economicamente ativa e da hanseníase entre adultos com mais de 50 anos. Ademais, observou-se aumento do HIV/AIDS entrehomossexuais e bissexuais, dos óbitos por tuberculose e de crianças/adolescentes com hanseníase. Conclusão: o perfil de homens adultos com baixa escolaridade evidenciado neste estudofoi semelhante à literatura, o que sugere possibilidades de atuação para profissionais da assistência, vigilância e gestão, com vistas à proposição de estratégias direcionadas ao controle do HIV/AIDS, da tuberculose e da hanseníasea nível estadual.

RESUMEN Objetivo: caracterizar el perfil clínico-epidemiológico de las personas afectadas por VIH/sida, tuberculosis y lepra en Paraná/Brasil, entre 2010 y 2019. Método: estudio descriptivo, de abordaje cuantitativo, con datos provenientes del Sistema de Información de Agravios de Notificación. La población fue definida como los casos nuevos de VIH/sida, tuberculosis y lepra notificados entre 2010 y 2019, en Paraná/Brasil. Para el análisis, se utilizaron técnicas de estadística descriptiva. Resultados: entre 2010 y 2019 se registraron 14.149 casos de VIH/sida, 7.868 de lepra y 22.147 de tuberculosis. Hubo predominio de casos entre hombres, con raza/color blanco y enseñanza primaria (in)completa para los tres agravios. Se evidenció mayor número de notificaciones del VIH/sida entre adolescentes y adultos de hasta 39 años, de la tuberculosis entre adultos en fase económicamente activa y de la lepra entre adultos de más de 50 años. Además, se observó aumento del VIH/sida entre homosexuales y bisexuales, de los óbitos por tuberculosis y de niños/adolescentes con lepra. Conclusión: el perfil de hombres adultos con baja escolaridad evidenciado en este estudio fue similar a la literatura, lo que sugiere posibilidades de actuación para profesionales de la asistencia, vigilancia y gestión, con vistas a proponer estrategias dirigidas al control del VIH/sida, la tuberculosis y la lepra a nivel estatal.

ABSTRACT Objective: to characterize the clinical-epidemiological profile of people affected by HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and leprosy in Paraná, between 2010 and 2019. Method: descriptive study, quantitative approach, with data from the Information System of Notifiable Diseases. The population was defined as new cases of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and leprosy reported between 2010 and 2019 in Paraná. For the analysis, descriptive statistical techniques were used. Results: between 2010 and 2019, 14,149 cases of HIV/AIDS, 7,868 of leprosy and 22,147 of tuberculosis were registered. There was a predominance of cases among men, with white race/color and (in)complete elementary school for the three diseases. There was a higher number of HIV/AIDS notifications among adolescents and adults up to 39 years old, tuberculosis among adults in an economically active phase and leprosy among adults over 50 years old. In addition, there was an increase in HIV/AIDS among homosexuals and bisexuals, deaths from tuberculosis and children/adolescents with leprosy. Conclusion: the profile of adult men with low schooling evidenced in this study was similar to the literature, which suggests possibilities of management, with a view to proposing strategies aimed at controlling HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and leprosy at the state level.

O uso do teste Ml flow entre casos de hanseníase recém-diagnosticados e contatos intradomiciliares / The use of the Ml flow test between newly diagnostic leprosy cases and in-home contacts / El uso de la prueba de flujo Ml entre casos de lepra recientemente diagnósticos y contactos en el hogar

Objetivo: identificar o resultado de teste Ml Flow entre casos de hanseníase recém-diagnosticados e contatos intradomiciliares.Métodos: estudo transversal, descritivo, com abordagem quantitativa realizado no município de Caxias, Maranhão, Brasil, onde recrutou-se casos recém-diagnosticados, virgens de tratamento e contatos intradomiciliares. Resultados: recrutou-se 324 contatos de casos de hanseníase, no período de 2015 a 2018. Nos casos recém-diagnosticados o teste Ml Flow foi negativo em 87,5% (7/8) dos paucibacilares e positivo em 70% (21/30) dos multibacilares, ambos concordantes com a baciloscopia do raspado intradérmico. Identificou-se 30 (9%) contatos intradomiciliares com alto risco de adoecer. Conclusão: o teste Ml Flow constitui-se uma ferramenta útil para correta detecção de contatos com alta chance de adoecer da hanseníase, bem como para classificar corretamente os casos novos

Objective: to identify the Ml Flow test result between newly diagnosed leprosy cases and household contacts. Methods: cross-sectional, descriptive study with a quantitative approach carried out in the city of Caxias, Maranhão, Brazil, where newly diagnosed cases, treatment virgins and intra-household contacts were recruited. Results: 324 contacts of leprosy cases were recruited from 2015 to 2018. In newly diagnosed cases, the Ml Flow test was negative in 87.5% (7/8) of paucibacillary patients and positive in 70% (21/ 30) of the multibacillary, both in agreement with the bacilloscopy of the intradermal smear. Thirty (9%) household contacts with high risk of illness were identified. Conclusion: the Ml Flow test is a useful tool for the correct detection of contacts with a high chance of getting sick from leprosy, as well as for correctly classifying new cases

Objetivo: identificar el resultado de la prueba Ml Flow entre casos de lepra recién diagnosticados y contactos domésticos. Métodos: estudio descriptivo transversal con abordaje cuantitativo realizado en la ciudad de Caxias, Maranhão, Brasil, donde se reclutaron casos recién diagnosticados, vírgenes en tratamiento y contactos intrafamiliares. Resultados: se reclutaron 324 contactos de casos de lepra entre 2015 y 2018. En los casos recién diagnosticados, la prueba Ml Flow fue negativa en el 87,5% (7/8) de los pacientes paucibacilares y positiva en el 70% (21/30) de los multibacilares, ambos de acuerdo con la baciloscopia del frotis intradérmico. Identificamos 30 (9%) contactos dentro del hogar con alto riesgo de enfermarse. Conclusión: la prueba Ml Flow es una herramienta útil para la correcta detección de contactos con alta probabilidad de enfermarse de lepra, así como para clasificar correctamente nuevos casos

[Elimination of infectious disease in China, past and future].

In the long history, infectious disease once caused huge disasters to human beings, not only resulting in serious impacts on public health, but even threatening socioeconomic development and national security. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, China has attached great importance to the prevention and treatment of infectious disease and achieved remarkable achievements. This article mainly summarizes the historical progresses of the eradication of smallpox and the eliminations of polio, leprosy, filariasis, neonatal tetanus, blinding trachoma and malaria in China, and discusses the eliminations of the infectious diseases which can be conducted in the future.

Caracterización clinicoepidemiológica de pacientes con lepra en un área de salud de Santiago de Cuba / Clinical epidemiological characterization of patients with leprosy in a health area from Santiago de Cuba

Introducción: La lepra es una enfermedad infectocontagiosa crónica, producida por el Mycobacterium leprae, y constituye uno de los males más antiguos de la humanidad. Objetivo: Describir algunas características clínicas y epidemiológicas de los pacientes con lepra pertenecientes al Policlínico Docente Ramón López Peña de Santiago de Cuba. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio descriptivo y retrospectivo de los 11 pacientes diagnosticados con la enfermedad de Hansen en la mencionada área de salud en el período 2005-2019. Para el procesamiento de la información se creó una base de datos mediante el sistema SPSS, versión 11.5 para Windows, donde se tabularon los datos de las encuestas. El análisis de los resultados se expresó en números absolutos y porcentajes para su mejor interpretación. Resultados: Predominaron el grupo etario de 35-44 años (54,5 %), el sexo masculino (54,6 %) y la lepra dimorfa, en su forma clínica multibacilar. La mayoría de los pacientes fueron diagnosticados precozmente y solo se observó algún grado de discapacidad en los diagnósticos tardíos; asimismo, las condiciones higiénicas desfavorables y el hacinamiento fueron los factores de riesgo de mayor relevancia. Conclusiones: A pesar de la existencia de pacientes con lepra en dicha área de salud, se observó un período de silencio epidemiológico, que unido a los factores de riesgo presentes, aumenta la posibilidad de contagio y pone en peligro los objetivos establecidos para su erradicación.

Introduction: Leprosy is an infectious chronic disease, produced by the Mycobacterium leprae, and constitutes one of the oldest ills of humanity. Objective: To describe some clinical and epidemiological characteristics of the patients with leprosy belonging to Ramón López Peña Teaching Polyclinic in Santiago de Cuba. Methods: A descriptive and retrospective study of the 11 patients diagnosed with Hansen disease in the mentioned health area during 2005-2019 was carried out. A database was created by means of the SPSS system, version 11.5 for Windows, for processing the information, where the data of the surveys were tabulated. The analysis of the results was expressed in absolute numbers and percentages for its best interpretation. Results: There was a prevalence of the 35-44 age group (54.5 %), the male sex (54.6 %) and the borderline lepromatous leprosy, in its multibacilar clinical form. Most of the patients were early diagnosed and certain degree of disability was just observed in the late diagnoses; also, the unfavorable hygienic conditions and overcrowding were the risk factors of more relevance. Conclusions: In spite of the existence of patients with leprosy in this health area, a period of epidemiological silence was observed that along with the existing risk factors, increases the infection possibility and puts in danger the established objectives for its eradication.

O protagonismo da enfermagem nas doenças infecciosas e epidemias comunitárias no Brasil / The role of nursing in infectious diseases and community epidemics in Brazil / El papel de la enfermería en las enfermedades infecciosas y las epidemias comunitarias en Brasil

Introdução: A história da enfermagem está ligada ao pioneirismo no combate às doenças infecciosas. No Brasil, anteriormente à pandemia da Covid-19, doenças como a tuberculose e hanseníase já estavam presentes sendo a enfermagem referência na prevenção e assistência. Paradoxalmente, a profissão permaneceu bastante invisível e desvalorizada ao longo dos anos. Objetivo: Evidenciar a participação da enfermagem no enfrentamento às doenças infecciosas e epidemias comunitárias. Material e Método: Trata-se de uma revisão integrativa da literatura com análise temática. A busca foi realizada nas bases National Library of Medicine e Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde, entre maio e junho de 2020, nos idiomas português, inglês e espanhol. Não houve recorte temporal na busca de publicações. Resultados: A análise dos 19 artigos incluídos originou quatro categorias: "O Papel de Transformar", "O Papel de Atuar", "O Papel de Educar" e "O Papel de Formar". Nestas categorias, as ações de vigilância em saúde se destacaram, dentre elas as consultas de enfermagem, busca ativa, vacinação, visitas domiciliares, educação em saúde, participação política e educação profissional. Conclusão: Verifica-se que questões sanitárias corroboraram para o surgimento e para institucionalização da enfermagem enquanto profissão no Brasil, evidenciando a importância deste profissional no combate às doenças infecciosas e epidemias comunitárias.(AU)

Introduction: The history of nursing is linked to pioneering in the fight against infectious diseases. In Brazil, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, diseases such as tuberculosis and leprosy were already present and nursing was a reference in prevention and care. Paradoxically, the profession has remained quite invisible and undervalued over the years. Objective: To highlight the participation of nursing in coping with infectious diseases and community epidemics. Material and Method: This is an integrative review of the literature with thematic analysis. The search was conducted in the National Library of Medicine and Virtual Health Library databases, between May and June 2020, in Portuguese, English and Spanish. There was no time cut in the search for publications. Results: The analysis of the 19 articles included originated four categories: "The Role of Transforming", "The Role of Acting", "The Role of Educating" and "The Role of Forming". In these categories, health surveillance actions stood out, among them nursing consultations, active search, vaccination, home visits, health education, political participation and professional education. Conclusion: It is verified that health issues corroborated the emergence and institutionalization of nursing as a profession in Brazil, highlighting the importance of this professional in the fight against infectious diseases and community epidemics.(AU)

Introducción: La historia de la enfermería está ligada al espíritu pionero en la lucha contra las enfermedades infecciosas. En Brasil, antes de la pandemia Covid-19, ya estaban presentes enfermedades como la tuberculosis y la lepra, siendo la enfermería un referente en prevención y atención. Paradójicamente, la profesión se ha mantenido bastante invisible y devaluada a lo largo de los años. Objetivo: Destacar la participación de la enfermería en la lucha contra las enfermedades infecciosas y las epidemias comunitarias. Material y Método: Se trata de una revisión bibliográfica integradora con análisis temático. La búsqueda se realizó en las bases de datos de la Biblioteca Nacional de Medicina y Biblioteca Virtual en Salud, entre mayo y junio de 2020, en portugués, inglés y español. No hubo cortes de tiempo en la búsqueda de publicaciones. Resultados: El análisis de los 19 artículos incluidos dio como resultado cuatro categorías: "El rol de transformar", "El rol de actuar", "El rol de educar" y "El rol de la formación". En estas categorías se destacaron las acciones de vigilancia en salud, entre ellas consultas de enfermería, búsqueda activa, vacunación, visitas domiciliarias, educación en salud, participación política y educación profesional. Conclusión: Parece que los problemas de salud se corroboraron para el surgimiento e institucionalización de la enfermería como profesión en Brasil, mostrando la importancia de este profesional en la lucha contra las enfermedades infecciosas y las epidemias comunitarias.(AU)

Insights from ancient DNA analysis of Egyptian human mummies: clues to disease and kinship.

The molecular Egyptology field started in the mid-eighties with the first publication on the ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis of an Egyptian mummy. Egypt has been a major interest for historians, archeologists, laymen as well as scientists. The aDNA research on Egyptian biological remains has been fueled by their abundance and relatively well-preserved states through artificial mummification and by the advanced analytical techniques. Early doubts of aDNA integrity within the Egyptian mummies and data authenticity were later abated with studies proving successfully authenticated aDNA retrieval. The current review tries to recapitulate the published studies presenting paleogenomic evidence of disease diagnosis and kinship establishment for the Egyptian human remains. Regarding disease diagnosis, the prevailing literature was on paleogenomic evidence of infectious diseases in the human remains. A series of reports presented evidence for the presence of tuberculosis and/or malaria. In addition, there were solitary reports of the presence of leprosy, diphtheria, bacteremia, toxoplasmosis, schistosomiasis and leishmaniasis. On the contrary, paleogenomic evidence of the presence of rare diseases was quite scarce and mentioned only in two articles. On the other hand, kinship analysis of Egyptian human remains, including that of Tutankhamen, was done using both mitochondrial DNA sequences and nuclear DNA markers, to establish family relationships in four studies. It is clear that the field of molecular Egyptology is still a largely unexplored territory. Nevertheless, the paleogenomic investigation of Egyptian remains could make significant contributions to biomedical sciences (e.g. elucidation of coevolution of human host-microbe interrelationship) as well as to evidence-based archeology.