Neuroradiological features of patients with bilateral macronodular adrenocortical disease and meningiomas associated or not with genetic variants of ARMC5- a case series.

INTRODUCTION: Meningiomas are the most common primary brain and central nervous system tumors, accounting for approximately 40% of these tumors. The most important exams for the radiological study of meningiomas are computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We aimed to analyze the radiological features of patients with meningioma related to the simultaneous presence of bilateral macronodular adrenocortical disease (BMAD), with or without pathogenic variants of ARMC5. METHODS: This study included 10 patients who were diagnosed with BMAD. All of them had a radiological diagnosis of expansive brain lesions suggestive of meningioma. All patients underwent brain MRI and a neuroradiolgist analyzed the following parameters: number, site and size of lesions; presence of calcification, edema and bone involvement. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Eight patients presented with germline variants of ARMC5; the other 2, did not. The most significant result was the incidence of multiple meningiomas, which was 50% in BMAD patients, whereas the average incidence described thus far is lower than 10%. Considering location, the 22 tumors in the BMAD patients were 5 convexity tumors (22.7%), and 17 skull base tumors (77.2%), the opposite proportion of patients without BMAD. A total of 40.9% of the tumors had calcification, 9% had cerebral edema and 40.9% had bone invasion due to hyperostosis. The literature describes meningioma calcification in 25% of patients, bone invasion by tumor hyperostosis in 20%, and cerebral edema in approximately 60%. CONCLUSION: Relevant results were found considering the rate of multiple meningiomas and tumor location. This finding reinforces the need for further research into the neurological effects caused by genetic variants of ARMC5 in patients with BMAD.

Rapid response of a public health reference laboratory to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction. Brazil was one of the most affected countries by the COVID-19 pandemic. Instituto Adolfo Lutz (IAL) is the reference laboratory for COVID-19 in São Paulo, the most populous state in Brazil. In April 2020, a secondary diagnostic pole named IAL-2 was created to enhance IAL's capacity for COVID-19 diagnosis.Hypothesis/Gap Statement. Public health laboratories must be prepared to rapidly respond to emerging epidemics or pandemics.Aim. To describe the design of IAL-2 and correlate the results of RT-qPCR tests for COVID-19 with secondary data on suspected cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the São Paulo state.Methodology. This is a retrospective study based on the analysis of secondary data from patients suspected of infection by SARS-CoV-2 whose clinical samples were submitted to real-time PCR after reverse transcription (RT-qPCR) at IAL-2, between 1 April 2020 and 8 March 2022. RT-qPCR Ct results of the different kits used were also analysed.Results. IAL-2 was implemented in April 2020, just over a month after the detection of the first COVID-19 case in Brazil. The laboratory performed 304,250 RT-qPCR tests during the study period, of which 98 319 (32.3 %) were positive, 205827 (67.7 %) negative, and 104 (0.03 %) inconclusive for SARS-CoV-2. RT-qPCR Ct values≤30 for E/N genes of SARS-CoV-2 were presented by 79.7 % of all the samples included in the study.Conclusion. IAL was able to rapidly implement a new laboratory structure to support the processing of an enormous number of samples for diagnosis of COVID-19, outlining strategies to carry out work with quality, using different RT-qPCR protocols.

Detection of herpesviruses in neotropical primates from São Paulo, Brazil.

Transmission of herpesvirus between humans and non-human primates represents a serious potential threat to human health and endangered species conservation. This study aimed to identify herpesvirus genomes in samples of neotropical primates (NTPs) in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. A total of 242 NTPs, including Callithrix sp., Alouatta sp., Sapajus sp., and Callicebus sp., were evaluated by pan-herpesvirus polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing. Sixty-two (25.6%) samples containing genome segments representative of members of the family Herpesviridae, including 16.1% for Callitrichine gammaherpesvirus 3, 6.1% for Human alphaherpesvirus 1, 2.1% for Alouatta macconnelli cytomegalovirus, and 0.83% for Cebus albifrons lymphocryptovirus 1. No co-infections were detected. The detection of herpesvirus genomes was significantly higher among adult animals (p = 0.033) and those kept under human care (p = 0.008671). These findings confirm the importance of monitoring the occurrence of herpesviruses in NTP populations in epizootic events.

Technical comparison of MinIon and Illumina technologies for genotyping Chikungunya virus in clinical samples.

New-generation sequencing (NGS) techniques have brought the opportunity for genomic monitoring of several microorganisms potentially relevant to public health. The establishment of different methods with different mechanisms provides a wide choice, taking into account several aspects. With that in mind, the present aim of the study was to compare basic genomic sequencing metrics that could potentially impact genotyping by nanopores from Oxford Nanopore Technologies and by synthesis from Illumina in clinical samples positive for Chikungunya (CHIKV). Among the metrics studied, running time, read production, and Q score were better represented in Illumina sequencing, while the MinIOn platform showed better response time and greater diversity of generated files. That said, it was possible to establish differences between the studied metrics in addition to verifying that the distinctions in the methods did not impact the identification of the CHIKV virus genotype.

Histopathologic and Immunohistochemical Assessment of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS): Challenges and Complexities of Postmortem Diagnosis.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a life-threatening condition due to acute lung injury (ALI), characterized by rapid-onset respiratory failure, leading to the clinical manifestations of poor lung compliance, severe hypoxemia, and dyspnea. ARDS/ALI has many causes, most commonly related to infections (sepsis, pneumonia), traumas, and multiple transfusions. The objective of this study is to assess the performance of postmortem anatomopathological examination in identifying etiological agents associated with ARDS or ALI in deceased patients from the State of São Paulo from 2017 to 2018. A retrospective cross-sectional study was performed based on the final outcome obtained by histopathology, histochemical, and immunohistochemical examination for ARDS/ALI differential diagnosis at the Pathology Center of the Adolfo Lutz Institute in São Paulo, Brazil. Of the 154 patients clinically diagnosed with ARDS or ALI, 57% tested positive for infectious agents, and the most frequent outcome was influenza A/H1N1 virus infection. In 43% of cases, no etiologic agent was identified. The opportunity to establish a diagnosis, identify particular infections, confirm a microbiological diagnosis, and uncover unanticipated etiologies is provided by postmortem pathologic analysis of ARDS. A molecular assessment could improve the diagnosis accuracy and lead to research into host responses and public health measures.

Co-production of Classes A and B Carbapenemases BKC-1 and VIM-2 in a Clinical Pseudomonas Putida Group Isolate from Brazil.

Emergence of resistance to classical antimicrobial agents is a public health issue, especially in countries with high antimicrobial consumption rates. Carbapenems have been employed as first-choice option for empirical treatment complicated infections. However, in the last decades, frequency of carbapenemase-producing Gram-negative bacteria has rising, demanding the use of alternative antimicrobial agents. By sequencing the entire genomes with short and long reads technologies, we report the isolation and genomic characterization of a carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas clinical isolate. The identification based on average nucleotide identity indicates a putative new species into the Pseudomonas putida Group, which carries both the blaBKC-1 and blaVIM-2 carbapenemase genes. The blaBKC-1 was found to be on a transferable IncQ plasmid backbone, whereas blaVIM-2 was found in a new integron, In2126 (intl1∆-blaVIM-2-aacA7-blaVIM-2∆-aacA27-3'CS), described in this study. Our findings indicate that co-occurrence of classes A and B carbapenemase enzymes underscores the evolving emergence of more complex antimicrobial resistance in opportunistic pathogens.

Surveillance of hemorrhagic fever and/or neuroinvasive disease: challenges of diagnosis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the performance of post mortem laboratory analysis in identifying the causes of hemorrhagic fever and/or neuroinvasive disease in deaths by arbovirus infection. METHODS: Retrospective cross-sectional study based on the differential analysis and final outcome obtained in patients whose samples underwent laboratory testing for arboviruses at the Pathology Center of the Adolfo Lutz Institute, in São Paulo, Brazil. RESULTS: Of the 1355 adults clinically diagnosed with hemorrhagic fever and/or neuroinvasive disease, the most commonly attributed cause of death and the most common final outcome was dengue fever. Almost half of the samples tested negative on all laboratory tests conducted. CONCLUSION: The failure to identify the causative agent in a great number of cases highlights a gap in the diagnosis of deaths of unknown etiology. Additional immunohistochemical and molecular assessments need to be added to the post-mortem protocol if all laboratory evaluations performed fail to identify a causative agent. While part of our findings may be due to technical issues related to sample fixation, better information availability when making the initial diagnosis is crucial. Including molecular approaches might lead to a significant advancement in diagnostic accuracy.

Concurrent yellow fever and pulmonary aspergillosis due to Aspergillus fumigatus in a free-ranging howler monkey (Alouatta sp).

Herein, we describe a unique case of concomitant angioinvasive pulmonary aspergillosis due to Aspergillus fumigatus and yellow fever in a free-ranging howler monkey (Alouatta sp). Lung samples were negative for influenza viruses A and B.

Surveillance of hemorrhagic fever and/or neuroinvasive disease: challenges of diagnosis

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the performance of post mortem laboratory analysis in identifying the causes of hemorrhagic fever and/or neuroinvasive disease in deaths by arbovirus infection. METHODS: Retrospective cross-sectional study based on the differential analysis and final outcome obtained in patients whose samples underwent laboratory testing for arboviruses at the Pathology Center of the Adolfo Lutz Institute, in São Paulo, Brazil. RESULTS: Of the 1355 adults clinically diagnosed with hemorrhagic fever and/or neuroinvasive disease, the most commonly attributed cause of death and the most common final outcome was dengue fever. Almost half of the samples tested negative on all laboratory tests conducted. CONCLUSION: The failure to identify the causative agent in a great number of cases highlights a gap in the diagnosis of deaths of unknown etiology. Additional immunohistochemical and molecular assessments need to be added to the post-mortem protocol if all laboratory evaluations performed fail to identify a causative agent. While part of our findings may be due to technical issues related to sample fixation, better information availability when making the initial diagnosis is crucial. Including molecular approaches might lead to a significant advancement in diagnostic accuracy. DESCRIPTORS: Autopsy. Hemorrhagic Fevers, Viral, etiology. Arbovirus Infections, mortality

Surveillance of hemorrhagic fever and/or neuroinvasive disease: challenges of diagnosis

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To evaluate the performance of post mortem laboratory analysis in identifying the causes of hemorrhagic fever and/or neuroinvasive disease in deaths by arbovirus infection. METHODS Retrospective cross-sectional study based on the differential analysis and final outcome obtained in patients whose samples underwent laboratory testing for arboviruses at the Pathology Center of the Adolfo Lutz Institute, in São Paulo, Brazil. RESULTS Of the 1355 adults clinically diagnosed with hemorrhagic fever and/or neuroinvasive disease, the most commonly attributed cause of death and the most common final outcome was dengue fever. Almost half of the samples tested negative on all laboratory tests conducted. CONCLUSION The failure to identify the causative agent in a great number of cases highlights a gap in the diagnosis of deaths of unknown etiology. Additional immunohistochemical and molecular assessments need to be added to the post-mortem protocol if all laboratory evaluations performed fail to identify a causative agent. While part of our findings may be due to technical issues related to sample fixation, better information availability when making the initial diagnosis is crucial. Including molecular approaches might lead to a significant advancement in diagnostic accuracy.

Corrigendum: Transcriptome Analysis Showed a Differential Signature Between Invasive and Non-invasive Corticotrophinomas.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2017.00055.].

Diagnóstico de febre amarela em tecidos fixados em formalina e emblocados em parafina de primatas não humanos: a importância do exame histopatológico

Os casos de óbitos ou convalescência de primatas não-humanos (PNH) por febreamarela (epizootias) apontam a circulação do vírus em uma determinada região e podemanteceder a ocorrência dessa doença em humanos. Portanto, o diagnóstico adequado destaenfermidade nos diferentes gêneros de PNH presentes no Brasil é importante para adoçãode medidas estratégicas de controle da FA, como a vacinação. O Centro de Patologiado Instituto Adolfo Lutz (CPA-IAL), laboratório de referência macrorregional, participado Programa de Vigilância de Epizootias em PNH do Ministério da Saúde, por meioda realização de exames histopatológico e imuno-histoquímico para FA. Este trabalhoapresenta a casuística recebida e analisada no CPA-IAL durante o ano de 2017. Foramavaliadas amostras de 2.171 PNH, com resultado de 626 positivas no exame imunohistoquímico do fígado (28,83%). Destas, o estado de preservação foi satisfatório em580 e insatisfatório devido à autólise em 132. Das satisfatórias...

Epizootics of Yellow Fever in non-human primates (NHP) are indicative of viralcirculation of the Yellow Fever virus (YFV) and may predict the occurrence of humancases. Therefore, adequate diagnosis of the disease in the different genera of NHPoccurring in Brazil is important for YF control strategies, such as vaccination. ThePathology Center of the Adolfo Lutz Institute (CPA-IAL), a macro-regional referencelaboratory, participates in the Epizootic Surveillance Program through histopathologicaland immunohistochemical exams for YF. This study presents the caseload received andanalyzed at the CPA-IAL during 2017, with especial emphasis on YF immunopositivityin the liver. Samples from 2,171 NHPs were evaluated in 2017. From these, 626 (28.83%)were positive by immunohistochemistry; 580...

Patologia morfológica e molecular aplicadas à inovação diagnóstica e vigilância da leishmaniose visceral / Morphological and molecular pathology applied to diagnostic innovation and surveillance of visceral leishmaniasis

O conceito de Saúde Única surgiu para ressaltar a união indissociável entre a saúde animal, humana e ambiental. Nesse contexto, a leishmaniose visceral americana (LVA) é considerada uma importante doença de saúde pública no Brasil, devido a sua crescente expansão geográfica e aumento na incidência de casos humanos. A LVA é uma doença parasitária, zoonótica, causada pela Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum (syn. chagasi) e transmitida por flebotomíneos do gênero Lutzomyia. Os cães são considerados os principais reservatórios do parasito nas áreas urbanas. O diagnóstico da LVA é baseado em aspectos epidemiológicos, clínicos e laboratoriais. A demonstração da presença do parasito através de exames diretos em tecidos biológicos do hospedeiro é o diagnóstico de escolha, principalmente, em municípios em que a transmissão de LVA ainda não tenha sido confirmada. Diversas metodologias podem ser aplicadas com essa finalidade. O objetivo desse trabalho é apresentar as técnicas citológicas, anatomo-patológicas e moleculares em amostras fixadas em formalina e incluídas em parafina para o diagnóstico da leishmaniose visceral em humanos e cães. Esses dados são complementares à apresentação realizada no I Simpósio Internacional de Leishmaniose Visceral, realizado nos dia 23 e 24 de Abril de 2018, e organizado pelo Instituto Adolfo Lutz em São Paulo-SP, Brasil. (AU)

The One Health concept emerged to highlight the inseparable link between animal, human and environmental health. In this context, American Visceral Leishmaniasis (AVL) is considered an important public health disease in Brazil, due to its increasing geographic expansion and in the incidence of human cases. AVL is a parasitic and zoonotic disease caused by Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum (syn. chagasi) and transmitted by sandflies of the genus Lutzomyia. Dogs are considered the main reservoirs of the parasite in urban areas. The diagnosis of AVL is based on epidemiological, clinical and laboratory aspects. The demonstration of the presence of the parasite through direct examinations in biological tissues of the host is the diagnosis of choice, mainly in municipalities where the transmission of AVL has not yet been confirmed. Several methodologies can be applied for this purpose. The objective of this work is to present the cytological, anatomopathological and molecular techniques in formalin fixed and paraffin embedded samples for the diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis in humans and dogs. These data are complementary to the present study at the First International Symposium on Visceral Leishmaniasis, held on April 23 and 24, 2018, and organized by Adolfo Lutz Institute in São Paulo, Brazil. (AU)

Patologia morfológica e molecular aplicadas à inovação diagnóstica e vigilância da leishmaniose visceral / Morphological and molecular pathology applied to diagnostic innovation and surveillance of visceral leishmaniasis

O conceito de Saúde Única surgiu para ressaltar a união indissociável entre a saúde animal, humana e ambiental. Nesse contexto, a leishmaniose visceral americana (LVA) é considerada uma importante doença de saúde pública no Brasil, devido a sua crescente expansão geográfica e aumento na incidência de casos humanos. A LVA é uma doença parasitária, zoonótica, causada pela Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum (syn. chagasi) e transmitida por flebotomíneos do gênero Lutzomyia. Os cães são considerados os principais reservatórios do parasito nas áreas urbanas. O diagnóstico da LVA é baseado em aspectos epidemiológicos, clínicos e laboratoriais. A demonstração da presença do parasito através de exames diretos em tecidos biológicos do hospedeiro é o diagnóstico de escolha, principalmente, em municípios em que a transmissão de LVA ainda não tenha sido confirmada. Diversas metodologias podem ser aplicadas com essa finalidade. O objetivo desse trabalho é apresentar as técnicas citológicas, anatomo-patológicas e moleculares em amostras fixadas em formalina e incluídas em parafina para o diagnóstico da leishmaniose visceral em humanos e cães. Esses dados são complementares à apresentação realizada no I Simpósio Internacional de Leishmaniose Visceral, realizado nos dia 23 e 24 de Abril de 2018, e organizado pelo Instituto Adolfo Lutz em São Paulo-SP, Brasil.

The One Health concept emerged to highlight the inseparable link between animal, human and environmental health. In this context, American Visceral Leishmaniasis (AVL) is considered an important public health disease in Brazil, due to its increasing geographic expansion and in the incidence of human cases. AVL is a parasitic and zoonotic disease caused by Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum (syn. chagasi) and transmitted by sandflies of the genus Lutzomyia. Dogs are considered the main reservoirs of the parasite in urban areas. The diagnosis of AVL is based on epidemiological, clinical and laboratory aspects. The demonstration of the presence of the parasite through direct examinations in biological tissues of the host is the diagnosis of choice, mainly in municipalities where the transmission of AVL has not yet been confirmed. Several methodologies can be applied for this purpose. The objective of this work is to present the cytological, anatomopathological and molecular techniques in formalin fixed and paraffin embedded samples for the diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis in humans and dogs. These data are complementary to the present study at the First International Symposium on Visceral Leishmaniasis, held on April 23 and 24, 2018, and organized by Adolfo Lutz Institute in São Paulo, Brazil.

Transcriptome Analysis Showed a Differential Signature between Invasive and Non-invasive Corticotrophinomas.

ACTH-dependent hypercortisolism caused by a pituitary adenoma [Cushing's disease (CD)] is the most common cause of endogenous Cushing's syndrome. CD is often associated with several morbidities, including hypertension, diabetes, osteoporosis/bone fractures, secondary infections, and increased cardiovascular mortality. While the majority (≈80%) of the corticotrophinomas visible on pituitary magnetic resonance imaging are microadenomas (MICs, <10 mm of diameter), some tumors are macroadenomas (MACs, ≥10 mm) with increased growth potential and invasiveness, exceptionally exhibiting malignant demeanor. In addition, larger and invasive MACs are associated with a significant increased risk of local complications, such as hypopituitarism and visual defects. Given the clinical and molecular heterogeneity of corticotrophinomas, the aim of this study was to investigate the pattern of genetic differential expression between MIC and MAC, including the invasiveness grade as a criterion for categorizing these tumors. In this study, were included tumor samples from patients with clinical, laboratorial, radiological, and histopathological diagnosis of hypercortisolism due to an ACTH-producing pituitary adenoma. Differential gene expression was studied using an Affymetrix microarray platform in 12 corticotrophinomas, classified as non-invasive MIC (n = 4) and MAC (n = 5), and invasive MAC (n = 3), according to modified Hardy criteria. Somatic mutations in USP8 were also investigated, but none of the patients exhibited USP8 variants. Differential expression analysis demonstrated that non-invasive MIC and MAC have a similar genetic signature, while invasive MACs exhibited a differential expression profile. Among the genes differentially expressed, we highlighted CCND2, ZNF676, DAPK1, and TIMP2, and their differential expression was validated through quantitative real-time PCR in another cohort of 15 non-invasive and 3 invasive cortocotrophinomas. We also identified potential biological pathways associated with growth and invasiveness, TGF-ß and G protein signaling pathways, DNA damage response pathway, and pathways associated with focal adhesion. Our study revealed a differential pattern of genetic signature in a subgroup of MAC, supporting a genetic influence on corticotrophinomas in patients with CD.