[Monitoring of cytomegalovirus infection in patients with kidney transplantation: the first experience in Cuba]. / Monitoreo de la infección por citomegalovirus en pacientes con trasplante renal: primera experiencia en Cuba.

Kidney transplantation is at present the most efficient therapeutic tool to treat end-stage chronic kidney failure. Graft rejection and infections are the most important barriers to the success of transplantation, whereas cytomegalovirus (CMV) has been the most reported causal agent of morbidity in this type of patients. The evolution of a group of 12 patients who underwent kidney transplantation at the Nephrology Institute was studied during 16 weeks aimed at monitoring the infection caused by CMV. 58.4% of these patients were positive and 28% showed clinical evidences of the disease. Most of the infected patients were observed between the 4th and the 12th week after transplantation. CMV infection was confirmed in 70% of the individuals undergoing a high immunosuppression. 50% of the total of patients developed graft rejection episodes some time during the evolution and 83.3% were diagnosed CMV infection.

[The standardization of the plaque reduction technic for differentiating a dengue infection from a yellow fever infection]. / Normalización de la técnica de reducción de placas para diferenciar una infección por dengue de una infección por fiebre amarilla.

The plaque reduction neutralization assay was standardized to differentiate an infection caused by dengue from another infection produced by yellow fever. Serum samples from Cuban donors were used to this end. Information on previous vaccination against yellow fever was available. Samples from Costa Rican patients with a clinical picture of dengue and with no antecedents of vaccination against yellow fever were also utilized. The optimal plaque staining day was the fifth day and the smallest serum dilution capable of differentiating an infection resulting from dengue from another infection caused by yellow fever was of 1/5. According to the high specificity of the standardized technique, risk factor studies of dengue hemorrhagic fever could be made among individuals vaccinated against yellow fever, which is a present and important topic.

[Monoclonal antibodies which recognize herpes simplex virus and their possible diagnostic application]. / Anticuerpos monoclonales (AcM) que reconocen el virus herpes simple (HSV) y su posible aplicación al diagnóstico.

It is reported the obtention of monoclonal antibodies, which are capable of recognizing HSV-1 and HSV-2 viruses, by the conventional technology of cellular fusion. The monoclonal antibodies of highest positivity according to the indirect immunofluorescence technique were partially characterized. It was determined the neutralizing capacity of 2 of them (278-F7 and 70-G10), which were used to identify isolations of clinical specimens by indirect immunofluorescence. These monoclonal antibodies recognized HSV-1 up to a dilution of 1:2 560.

[The characterization of influenza viruses by the immunoperoxidase method using monoclonal antibodies. Its setup and validation]. / Caracterización de los virus de influenza por el método de la inmunoperoxidasa utilizando anticuerpos monoclonales. Montaje y validación.

The immunoperoxidase method for the rapid classification of influenza viruses in type and subtype was applied and validated for the first time in Cuba. The method is based on a rapid culture in MDCK-L cells and on the use of monoclonal antibodies for the classification in type and subtype. A pool of antibodies against influenza A and another against influenza B and HA1-71 and HA2-76 monoclonal antibodies are used for the subtyping in H1 and H3. The validation was carried out by applying this method to 21 international reference strains and to 23 human influenza virus strains that were isolated and previously classified by hemagglutination inhibition. All the strains reacted to the monoclonal antibodies according to their hemagglutinin type and subtype. 6 reference strains and 9 isolations were characterized within the H1N1 subtype: 9 reference strains and 10 isolations in the H3N2 subtype; and 6 reference strains and 4 isolations in type B. There were neither unspecific nor crossed reactions among the controls established. There was 100% of sensitivity, specificity and coincidence. The technique used proved to be fast and convenient for the characterization in type and subtype of the isolated influenza virus strains. It may substitute the classic hemagglutination inhibition method when it is required the rapid characterization of outbreaks or epidemics of acute respiratory infections, which is very important due to the high morbidity they cause mainly in risk groups and to their economic repercussion.

Alcoolismo, tabagismo e carcinoma epidermoide de terco medio do esofago: estudo tipo caso-controle. / Alcoholism, smoking and epidermoid carcinoma of the middle third of the esophagus: a case-control study

Para verificar uma possivel associacao entre o carcinoma epidermoide de terco medio de esofago e os habitos de beber e fumar, foi realizado um estudo tipo caso-controle no Hospital das Clinicas de Ribeirao Preto no periodo de agosto de 1980 a outubro de 1981. Entre 25.661 pacientes atendidos nesta instituicao, 21 tiveram o diagnostico deste tipo de neoplasia.Eles foram considerados casos e pareados individualmente com 57 controles (razao de pareamento de 1:3) em relacao as variaveis: sexo, idade, cor, procedencia, residencia, profissao, nivel socio-economico e o habito de beber ou fumar. Foi encontrada associacao estatisticamente significativa entre o carcinoma epidermoide de terco medio de esofago e o alcoolismo, com risco relativo de 26,7 Este valor e maior que os encontrados em outras partes do mundo, referentes a associacao com o cancer de esofago em geral.Em relacao ao tabagismo, nao foi encontrada associacao significativa: o risco relativo obtido foi de 1,9