Geospatial analysis and prevalence of Schistosoma mansoni and soil-transmitted helminth infections in an endemic area in Eastern Brazilian Amazon.

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the occurrence of Schistosoma mansoni and soil-transmitted helminths in an endemic area in the Eastern Brazilian Amazon, analysing prevalence and spatial distribution. METHODS: The study was conducted in four localities of Primavera Municipality, in Pará state. Data was obtained from the Decit 40/2012 project and the participants were divided into five age range categories for evaluation: children, adolescents, young adults, adults and elderly individuals. For the diagnostic tests, Kato-Katz slides were prepared to detect S. mansoni and soil-transmitted helminths eggs. The spatial distribution map and the Kernel Density Estimation were performed to assess the presence and location of infections. RESULTS: Stool samples revealed the presence of hookworms, S. mansoni, Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura eggs. Mono-, bi- and poly-parasitic infections were observed, with a significant prevalence of hookworm monoparasitism. CONCLUSIONS: The high frequency of children infected with soil-transmitted helminths confirms their significance as an ongoing public health problem in the poorest municipalities of Brazil. The Geographic Information System plays a crucial role in environmental surveillance and in the control of epidemics and endemic diseases, enabling accurate assessment and informed decision-making for their control.

A plethora of ocular surface manifestations in a multidisciplinary ocular graft-versus-host disease unit.

To describe the experience in a recently created ocular graft-versus-host disease unit in a tertiary hospital and to detail ocular surface features and complications after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). This retrospective study included all patients who underwent allo-HSCT, with or without chronic GVHD and were being monitored in the Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Unit in the UNICAMP Clinical Hospital (Campinas, Sao Paulo, Brazil) from 2015 to 2020. Patients were concomitantly evaluated by hematology and ophthalmology teams of the Ocular GVHD Unit. Hematologists performed a comprehensive systemic evaluation searching and grading mouth, skin, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, liver and genitalia GVHD. While ophthalmologists evaluated ocular symptoms through specific questionnaire (Ocular Surface Disease Index-OSDI) and a protocol of distinct ocular surface parameters for dry eye disease (1) and ocular complications, which encompassed meniscometry, non-invasive tear break-up time (NITBUT) measurement, conjunctival hyperemia quantification, meibography, fluorescein and lissamine staining and Schirmer's test. Patients were diagnosed with chronic GVHD using the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Consensus Criteria for Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease. The International Chronic Ocular GVHD Consensus Group (ICOGCG) score was obtained at the onset of ocular disease presentation or afterwards. A total of 82 patients underwent allo-HSCT (97.6% full matched and 2.4% haploidentical), mainly for cases of leukemia and 73.2% had chronic GVHD. Mean onset time for chronic GVHD was 232 ± 7.75 days. The mouth, skin, and eyes were the main organs involved (63%, 50%, and 48%, respectively). Symptom scores and all ocular surface parameters differ in patients with and without chronic GVHD and along different timepoints of the follow-up. Ocular complications mostly involved were severe DED and meibomian gland dysfunction, conjunctival scarring, cataract and infections resulting in keratitis and corneal perforation. As therapeutic strategies, 73% patients received preservative-free lubricants, 27% autologous serum, 48% topical steroids, 27% oral tetracycline derivatives, 22% mucolytic eye drops and 3 patients needed bandage contact lens. Ocular GVHD is a complex and challenging disease with varied manifestations, resulting in a broad range of ocular test endpoints, and inconsistent treatment responses. The main ocular presentations were dry eye, meibomian gland dysfunction and cataracts. The therapeutic approach often involves topical steroids and autologous serum tears. It is important to monitor these patients closely, so the ocular GVHD Unit may improve the care, providing prompt identification of ocular manifestations and faster treatment of complications.

Multicenter prospective validation study for international chronic ocular graft-versus-host disease consensus diagnostic criteria.

PURPOSE: To validate the international chronic ocular graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) diagnostic criteria (ICCGVHD) compared to the National Institute of Health diagnostic criteria 2014 (NIH2014) for chronic ocular GVHD. METHODS: Between 2013 and 2019, the study enrolled 233 patients with or without chronic ocular GVHD combined with the presence or absence of systemic chronic GVHD in an internationally prospective multicenter and observational cohort from 9 institutions. All patients were evaluated for four clinical parameters of ICCGVHD. RESULTS: The relation between the ICCGVHD score (0-11) and NIH2014 eye score (0-4) was relatively high (r = 0.708, 95% CI: 0.637-0.767, p < 0.001). The sensitivity and specificity of ICCGVHD for NIH 2014 for 233 patients were 94.3% (95% CI: 89.6%-98.1%) and 71.7% (95% CI: 63.0-79.5%), respectively (cutoff value of the ICCGVHD score = 6). The positive predictive value was 77.1% (95% CI: 71.1%-82.1%), and the negative predictive value was 87.0% (95% CI:81.6-92.5%). For the patients with systemic GVHD (n = 171), the sensitivity and specificity were 94.2% and 67.2%, respectively (ICCGVHD-score cutoff value = 6). By receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.903 (95% CI: 0.859-0.948). For patients without systemic GVHD (n = 62), the sensitivity and specificity were 100% and 76.7%, respectively (ICCGVHD-score cutoff value = 6). The AUC was 0.891 (95% CI 0.673-1.000). CONCLUSIONS: Good sensitivity, specificity, predictive value and correlation were found between ICCGVHD and NIH2014. ICCGVHD scores ≥6 can be useful to diagnose ocular GVHD with or without systemic GVHD for clinical research.

Ocular Manifestations and Neuropathy in Type 2 Diabetes Patients With Charcot Arthropathy.

Objective: Diabetes can affect the eye in many ways beyond retinopathy. This study sought to evaluate ocular disease and determine any associations with peripheral neuropathy (PN) or cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN) in type 2 diabetes (T2D) and Charcot arthropathy (CA) patients. Design: A total of 60 participants were included, 16 of whom were individuals with T2D/CA, 21 of whom were individuals with T2D who did not have CA, and 23 of whom were healthy controls. Ocular surface evaluations were performed, and cases of dry eye disease (DED) were determined using the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire, ocular surface staining, Schirmer test, and Oculus Keratograph 5M exams. All variables were used to classify DED and ocular surface disorders such as aqueous deficiency, lipid deficiency, inflammation, and ocular surface damage. Pupillary and retinal nerve fiber measurements were added to the protocol in order to broaden the scope of the neurosensory ocular evaluation. PN and CAN were ascertained by clinical examinations involving the Neuropathy Disability Score (for PN) and Ewing's battery (for CAN). Results: Most ocular variables evaluated herein differed significantly between T2D patients and controls. When the controls were respectively compared to patients with T2D and to patients with both T2D and CA, they differed substantially in terms of visual acuity (0.92 ± 0.11, 0.73 ± 0.27, and 0.47 ± 0.26, p=0.001), retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (96.83 ± 6.91, 89.25 ± 10.44, and 80.37 ± 11.67 µm, p=0.03), pupillometry results (4.10 ± 0.61, 3.48 ± 0.88, and 2.75 ± 0.81 mm, p=0.0001), and dry eye symptoms (9.19 ± 11.71, 19.83 ± 19.08, and 24.82 ± 24.40, p=0.03). DED and ocular surface damage also differed between individuals with and without CA, and were associated with PN and CAN. Conclusion: CA was found to be significantly associated with the severity of ocular findings. DED in cases of CA was also associated with PN and CAN. These findings suggest that intrinsic and complex neurosensory impairment in the eyes, peripheral sensory nerves, and the autonomic nervous system are somehow connected. Thus, a thorough ocular evaluation may be useful to highlight neurological complications and the impact of diabetes on ocular and systemic functions and structures.

Melanoma Metastático no esôfago: Relato de caso / Metastatic melanoma to the esophagus: case report

O melanoma maligno cutâneo é bastante agressivo, podendo metastatizar-se para o trato gastrointestinal. Dentre os vários órgãos, o esô»fago é um sítio incomum, correspondendo a 4-7 dos sítios metastáticos(l). O melanoma me»tastático de esôfago pode caracterizar-se por sintomas de disfagia (80), desconforto retroes»ternal ou epigástrico (33), perda de peso (38) e melena (7)(2-3). Assim, o objetivo deste traba»lho é descrever o caso de uma paciente do sexo feminino, 58 anos, com antecedente de exérese de melanoma cutâneo primário havia três anos e disfagia havia três meses; a partir da investiga»ção diagnóstica, constatou-se lesão melanótica metastática no esôfago com posterior estadia»mento e esofagectomia total com reconstrução do trajeto utilizando tubo gástrico e piloroplas»tia. Desse modo, é importante a suspeição de metástase de melanoma de esôfago diante de um paciente com sintoma principal de disfagia e história de melanoma cutâneo.

Lúpus eritematoso sistêmico (LES): perfil clínico-laboratorial dos pacientes do Hospital Universitário Onofre Lopes (UFRN-Natal/Brasil) e índice de dano nos pacientes com diagnóstico recente / Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE): clinical and laboratory profile of patients followed at the Onofre Lopes University Hospital (UFRN-Natal/Brazil) and early organ damage in patients with recently diagnosed disease

Objetivo: Determinar a freqüência das manifestações clínicas e laboratoriais de pacientes com lúpus eritematoso sistêmico (LES) e identificar os danos precoces nos pacientes com diagnóstico recente. Métodos: Avaliação retrospectiva de 164 pacientes com LES do ambulatório de Reumatologia do Hospital Universitário Onofre Lopes - UFRN, de abril de 2003 a dezembro de 2004. As manifestações clínicas e laboratoriais avaliadas referem-se aos critérios de classificação do Colégio Americano de Reumatologia. A avaliação do índice de dano, através do SLICC/ACR DI (Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/American College of Rheumatology Damage Index) foi realizada em 32 pacientes que tinham entre dois e três anos de diagnóstico. Resultados: As manifestações clínicas mais freqüentes foram as cutâneas (90,2 por cento), em especial a fotossensibilidade. As demais manifestações clínicas e laboratoriais foram semelhantes às descritas na literatura. Dano orgânico precoce foi identificado em nove pacientes com doença recente (28,1 por cento) e, novamente, o acometimento cutâneo foi o mais freqüente (12,5 por cento). Conclusão: Tanto as manifestações clínicas quanto os danos orgânicos precoces mais comuns foram relacionados à pele. Portanto, faz-se necessário o incentivo à fotoproteção em nossa região, que tem alta influência dos raios ultravioleta.

Efeitos das vitaminas A e C em anastomoses intestinais de ratos tratados com corticosteróide

OBJETIVE: There is a need to clearly define the affect of A and C vitamines in the healing of intestinal anastomosis on individuals under corticosteroid treatment, and this is the objetive of this study. METHODS: Fifty Wistar rats weighing 247± 22g were randomly separated in five groups. They were observated in individual cages with water and standard food ad libitum. The anesthesia was done with sodium pentobarbital 20 mg/Kg, intraperitoneal. During seven days preoperative and seven days after surgery, the groups were submmited to the protocol: I-control; II-metilprednisolone IM; III- metilprednisolone + vitamine A; IV- metilprednisolone + vitamine C; V- metilprednisolone + Vit. A + Vit. C. An enterectomy (1cm) and anastomosis was done, using nylon 6-0. In the seventh postoperative day, the tensil strength of the anastomosis was measured and a representative sample of the healing tissue was fixed in formaline 10% to histopatologic study under hematoxilin-eosine Masson tricromic process. The data were analised by the t Student test, considering significance 0,05. RESULTS: The bursting pressure of anastomosis of the group I (control) had no difference when compared with V group (Vitamine A and C) ( p>0,05). The difference was statisticaly significant when the I and V groups were compared with the II, III and IV groups (p 0,05). An insignificant difference was observed between the III e IV groups (p>0,05). The control group (I) had histopatologic score 142± 17, significantly shorter than group II - metilprednisolene - (95± 22). The difference was not significant when compared the control and the V group (Vitamin A and C), with the score (153± 15). CONCLUSION: the vitamin A and C, when used toghether, contributes to revert the deleterious effects of corticosteroid in the healing of intestinal anastomosis in rats.

OBJETIVOS: Estudo experimental realizado com o propósito de verificar a possibilidade das vitaminas A e C reverterem os efeitos deletérios do corticosteróide na cicatrização de anastomoses do intestino delgado. MÉTODOS: Foram utilizados 50 ratos Wistar, pesando 247± 22g, divididos aleatoriamente em cinco grupos de dez animais, observados em gaiolas individuais com água e alimento ad libitum. A anestesia foi feita com pentobarbital sódico na dose de 20 mg/Kg e operados sob condições assépticas. Durante sete dias no pré-operatório e por sete dias no pós-operatório, os grupos foram assim tratados com doses farmacológicas: I-controle; II-metilprednisolona IM; III- metilprednisolona + vitamina A; IV- metilprednisolona + vitamina C; V- metilprednisolona + Vit. A + Vit. C. Foi feita ressecção de segmento de 1 cm do íleo terminal e anastomose em pontos simples separados. Após sete dias de observação foi determinada a pressão de ruptura das anastomoses, que foram em seguida ressecadas, fixadas em formol 10%, processadas com técnica padrão para histopatologia com coloração HE e tricrômico de Masson. Os dados foram analisados pelo teste t de Student com significância 0,05. A pressão de ruptura das anastomoses do controle não mostrou diferença com o grupo V (p>0,05) e foi significativamente maior que a dos grupos II, III e IV (p 0,05). Entre os grupos III e IV não houve diferença significante (p>0,05). O controle apresentou histopatologia uniforme atingindo escore 142± 17, significativamente maior que no grupo II (95± 22) e não mostrou diferença significante nos escores com o grupo V (153± 15). CONCLUSÃO: Concluiu-se que a metilprednisolona exerce um efeito deletério sobre a cicatrização de anastomoses intestinais em ratos e as vitaminas A e C, quando usadas associadas, contribuíram para reverter esse efeito.

Efeitos das vitaminas A e C em anastomoses intestinais de ratos tratados com corticosteróides / Effects of vitamines A and C on the intestinal anastomosis of rats treated with corticosteroid

Objeivos: Estudo experimentl realizado com o propósito de verificar a possibilidade da vitaminas A e C reverterem os efeitos do corticosteróiode na cicatrização de anastomoses do intestino delgado: Métodos: Foram utilizados 50 ratos Wistar, pesando 247+/-22g, divididos aleatoriamente em cinco grupos de dez animais, observados em gaiolas individuais com água e alimento ad libitum. A anestesia foi feita com pentobarbital sódico na dose de 20 mg/Kg e operados sob condições assépticas. Durante sete dias no pré-operatório e por sete dias no pós-operatório, os grupos foram assim tratados com doses farmacológicas: I-controle; II-metilprednisolona IM; III-metilprednisolona+vitamina A; IV-metilprednisolona+vitamina C; V-metilprednisolona+vit. A+vit. C. Foi feita ressecção de segmento de 1cm do íleo terminal e anastomose em pontos simples separados. Após sete dias de observação foi determinada a pressão de ruptura das anastomoses, que foram em seguida ressecadas, fixadas em formol 10 por cento, processadas com técnica padrão para histopatologia com coloração HE e tricrômico de Masson. Os dados foram analisados pelo teste t de Student com significância 0,05. A pressão de ruptura das anastomoses do controle não mostrou diferença com o grupo V(p>0,05) e foi significantemente maior que a dos grupos II, III e IV (p<0,05). Entre os grupos III e IV não houve diferença significante (p>0,05). O controle apresentou histopatologia uniforme atingindo escore 142+/-17, significativamente maior que no grupo II (95+/-22) e não mostrou diferença significante nos escores com o grupo V (153+/-15). Conclusão: Concluiu-se que a metilprednisona exerce um efeito deletério sobre a cicatrização de anastomoses intestinaisem ratos e as vitaminas A e C. quando usadas associadas, contribuíram para reverter esse efeito.