Diarréia aguda associada a Cryptosporidium sp em Belém, Brasil (Nota prévia)

Cryptosporidium sp was detected in faeces from three children suffering from acute diarrhoea. In two cases no other concomitant agents were detected and in a 3rd. this agent was associated with Entamoeba histolytic, Entamoeba coli, Endolimax nana, Chilomastix mesnili and Pentatricbomonas hominis.Amostras de Cryptosporidium sp foram detectadas das fezes de três crianças com diarréia aguda. Em dois casos nenhum outro agente foi registrado, concomitantemente, e no terceiro caso, esse coccidio estava associado com Entamoeba histolytica, Entamoeba coli, Endolimax nana, Chilomastix mesnili e Pentatrichomonas hominis

Pesquisa de enterovírus em casos de meningite assética e síndrome de deficiência motora em Belém, Pará, Brasil

Eighty-one cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples mainly from cases of aseptic meningitis and motor deficiency syndrome were sent to the Virology Section of Evandro Chagas Institute, Belém Pará, in the period of January 1995 to January 1996 in order to isolate viruses. All samples were inoculated onto HEp-2 cell culture and newborn mice, with negative results. The probability of isolating viruses by these methods is reduced because of the low concentration of viral particles in these specimens. In order to obtain more information about the etiology of these cases, a group of 23 samples were selected to be tested by a more sensitive technique than the virus isolation - the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Specific primers directed to conserved regions in the enterovirus genome were used, considering that this group of viruses is frequently associated with these neurological disorder. The age of the patients ranged from 1 to 55 years and nearly all of them lived in Belém, State of Pará, North of Brazil. Of 15 samples analyzed by RT PCR nine (60%) were positive; of these, 6 (66.6%) had motor deficiency and 3 (33.3%) developed aseptic meningitis. These results show that it is important to investigate enterovirus as cause of these syndromes.Amostras de líquido céfalo raquidiano colhidas de 81casos (principalmente meningite asséptica e deficiência motora) foram recebidas na Seção de Virologia do Instituto Evandro Chagas em Belém, Pará no período de janeiro de 1995 a janeiro de 1996, para investigação etiológica. Todas as amostras foram inoculadas em células HEp-2 e em camundongos recém nascidos, com resultados negativos. A probabilidade de se isolar vírus por esse método é reduzida devido à baixa concentração de partículas virais nesses espécimes. Com o objetivo de se obter mais informações sobre a etiologia desses casos, um grupo de 15 amostras, foram testadas usando a reação em cadeia de polimerase com transcrição reversa uma técnica mais sensível que o isolamento. Foram usados "iniciadores" específicos direcionados à região de seqüências conservadas dos enterovírus, considerando que este grupo de vírus é mais freqüentemente relacionado a desordens neurológicas. A idade dos pacientes variou de 1 a 55 anos, e quase todos viviam em Belém, Pará, norte do Brasil. Das 15 amostras analisadas, nove (60%) foram positivas - 6 (66,6%) relacionadas a deficiência motora e 3 (33,3%) a meningite asséptica. Esses resultados, indicam a importância de investigar enterovírus como etiologia dessas síndromes

Criptosporidiose em crianҫas de 1 a 2 anos de idade, com diarréia aguda em Belém, Pará, Brasil

Artículo científico -- Universidad de Costa Rica. Instituto de Investigaciones en Salud, 1989Two hundred and one samples obtained from 61 children were examined for Cryptosporidium infection during a period of 12 months. One hundred fifteen specimens were collected during diarrhoea episodes and the remaining 86 obtained out of diarrhoea period, as controls. All samples were examined by a modified Ziehl-Neelsen staining method. Cryptosporidium was detected in 6 (5.2%) of 115 samples from diarrhoeic children. All non-diarrhoeic control patients were negative for Cryptosporidum. The present study suggests that Cryptosporidium is an agent of self-limited diarrhoea among immunocompetent children from Belém, Pará.Universidad de Costa Rica. Instituto de Investigaciones en Salud.Universidade de São PauloUCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias de la Salud::Instituto de Investigaciones en Salud (INISA

ISP - IFRO SLICE PROTEIN: automatizing the process of protein fragments extraction

Macromolecules are proteins formed by amino acids joined by peptide bonds, and can be described in different structural levels: primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary. It’s possible to extract a small part of the three dimensional structure of the protein to be used as a ligand. However, the extraction of fragments by experimental methods is expensive and time-consuming. In this context, the development of a web service to extract fragments of three-dimensional proteins makes the process more assertive and less costly. The methods used for the development of the protein slicer web service were the Python programming language, and the Javascript, PHP and HTML languages are being used. And for the testing of the system, three-dimensional structures of proteins present in the RCSB Protein Data Bank (RCSB PDB) were used

Pyometra in a Bitch Possibly Caused by Simultaneous Administration of Levonorgestrel and Estradiol Cypionate

Background: Toxicological events in animals may be accidental or intentional and could occur in the home environment. These events could involve different agents such as pesticides, rodenticides, medicines, foods, and plants. Indiscriminate use of medication in pets by their owners is common. Self-medication of animals with drugs for human use can cause irreversible damage to their health. The emergency contraceptive pill (morning-after pill), comprising concentrated hormonal compounds, is sold freely in Brazil. The objective of this article was to report a case of pyometra in a bitch possibly caused by simultaneous administration of human emergency contraceptive pill along with a veterinary contraceptive medication.              Case: A 6-year-old bitch was referred to a Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital for abdominal enlargement. According to the guardian, during estrus (30 days before the consultation) the female dog was covered. After intercourse, the owner administered a human emergency contraceptive pill (morning-after pill) and a veterinary contraceptive. Physical examination revealed severe dehydration (10%) and high temperature, besides the abdominal enlargement. The hemogram revealed leukocytosis with a left shift, characteristic of infection. After clinical examination, closed pyometra was suspected, and later confirmed by ultrasonography. Due to the poor clinical condition, fluid therapy was performed, and a systemic antibiotic was administered. After stabilization, the patient underwent ovariohysterectomy. In the postoperative period, the fluid therapy was continued, and antibiotic and anti-inflammatory drugs were administered. Two days after surgery, the patient was discharged for home recovery.  Discussion: Most cases of drug poisoning in animals involve female dogs, similar to the patient in this report. There is no theory elucidating the same, but the rate of incidence in female dogs has been reported to be higher than that in male dogs in the veterinary clinical routine. The administration of medicines at the guardian’s discretion, as seen in this case, is common in Brazil. The drugs involved may be of veterinary or human use. Drug intoxication is linked to the culture of self-medication. If the animal presents a symptom similar to that of a human, the guardian dispenses the same medicine used for him to their pet animal. Thus, it can be inferred that the guardian of the bitch in this report had the habit of self-medication and adopted the same conduct with the pet. The emergency contraceptive pill used here consisted of levonorgestrel, a progestin-type of hormone. No reports of levonorgestrel use have been reported in dogs; therefore, the mode of action of the drug in the canine species is unknown. The administration of progestogens in bitches is one of the main causes of reproductive diseases in the species. One of the diseases related to the use of contraceptives in bitches is pyometra. Despite the evidence, the human contraceptive cannot be determined as the cause of pyometra, because a veterinary contraceptive was also administered. Pyometra probably occurred due to the combined effect of both drugs. Thus, this case was diagnosed as drug intoxication. Veterinarians should be alert on this subject and invest in awareness and prevention of self-medication in animals by their guardians.

Detection of the pandemic norovirus variant GII.4 Sydney 2012 in Rio Branco, state of Acre, northern Brazil

Noroviruses (NoVs) are important cause of gastroenteritis in humans worldwide. Genotype GII.4 is responsible for the majority of outbreaks reported to date. This study describes, for the first time in Brazil, the circulation of NoV GII.4 variant Sydney 2012 in faecal samples collected from children aged less than or equal to eight years in Rio Branco, state of Acre, northern Brazil, during July-September 2012

Abordagem endovascular na terapêutica da coarctação de aorta / Endovascular approach in aortic coarctation therapy

INTRODUÇÃO: A coarctação de aorta (CoA) é uma cardiopatia congênita que se define por um estreitamento da aorta, com altas taxas de morbidade e mortalidade. Os procedimentos de tratamento disponíveis incluem cirurgia e dilatação de balão endovascular com ou sem colocação de stent. O atual manejo endovascular da doença da aorta torácica conseguiu diminuir a mortalidade de 40% para 14%.METODOLOGIA: Foi realizada a busca por literaturas nas bases de dados MEDLINE/PubMed, LILACS e SciELO. Utilizou-se o recorte temporal entre os anos de 2011 e 2021 e os descritores “Coarctação Aórtica”, “Procedimentos Endovasculares” e “Terapêutica”. Foram selecionados artigos que melhor se encaixavam na busca.RESULTADOS: O tratamento endovascular reduziu significativamente a morbidade intra-hospitalar e pós-operatória quando comparado a outras técnicas de tratamento.DISCUSSÃO: O tratamento cirúrgico de coarctação da aorta está associado a complicações potenciais, como aneurisma, hipertensão e doença cerebral crônica durante o período de acompanhamento. Diante disso, o desejo de reduzir a morbimortalidade associada ao procedimento cirúrgico motivou a terapia endovascular para a doença. Ambas as opções de tratamento da CoA possuem particularidades que devem ser levadas em consideração no tratamento dessa patologia.CONCLUSÃO: O tratamento endovascular apresentou benefícios em relação ao tratamento cirúrgico, visto que houve a redução das complicações, morbidade intra-hospitalar e pós-operatória