Brazilian recommendations on the safety and effectiveness of the yellow fever vaccination in patients with chronic immune-mediated inflammatory diseases

Background: In Brazil, we are facing an alarming epidemic scenario of Yellow fever (YF), which is reaching the most populous areas of the country in unvaccinated people. Vaccination is the only effective tool to prevent YF. In special situations, such as patients with chronic immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (CIMID), undergoing immunosuppressive therapy, as a higher risk of severe adverse events may occur, assessment of the risk-benefit ratio of the yellow fever vaccine (YFV) should be performed on an individual level. Main body of the abstract: Faced with the scarcity of specific orientation on YFV for this special group of patients, the Brazilian Rheumatology Society (BRS) endorsed a project aiming the development of individualized YFV recommendations for patients with CIMID, guided by questions addressed by both medical professionals and patients, followed an internationally validated methodology (GIN-McMaster Guideline Development). Firstly, a systematic review was carried out and an expert panel formed to take part of the decision process, comprising BRS clinical practitioners, as well as individuals from the Brazilian Dermatology Society (BDS), Brazilian Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Study Group (GEDIIB), and specialists on infectious diseases and vaccination (from Tropical Medicine, Infectious Diseases and Immunizations National Societies); in addition, two representatives of patient groups were included as members of the panel. When the quality of the evidence was low or there was a lack of evidence to determine the recommendations, the decisions were based on the expert opinion panel and a Delphi approach was performed. A recommendation was accepted upon achieving ≥80% agreement among the panel, including the patient representatives. As a result, eight recommendations were developed regarding the safety of YFV in patients with CIMID, considering the immunosuppression degree conferred by the treatment used. It was not possible to establish recommendations on the effectiveness of YFV in these patients as there is no consistent evidence to support these recommendations. Conclusion: This paper approaches a real need, assessed by clinicians and patient care groups, to address specific questions on the management of YFV in patients with CIMID living or traveling to YF endemic areas, involving specialists from many areas together with patients, and might have global applicability, contributing to and supporting vaccination practices. We recommended a shared decision-making approach on taking or not the YFV

High levels of immunosuppression are related to unfavourable outcomes in hospitalised patients with rheumatic diseases and COVID-19 : first results of ReumaCoV Brasil registry

Objectives To evaluate risk factors associated with unfavourable outcomes: emergency care, hospitalisation, admission to intensive care unit (ICU), mechanical ventilation and death in patients with immune-mediated rheumatic disease (IMRD) and COVID-19. Methods Analysis of the first 8 weeks of observational multicentre prospective cohort study (ReumaCoV Brasil register). Patients with IMRD and COVID-19 according to the Ministry of Health criteria were classified as eligible for the study. Results 334 participants were enrolled, a majority of them women, with a median age of 45 years; systemic lupus erythematosus (32.9%) was the most frequent IMRD. Emergency care was required in 160 patients, 33.0% were hospitalised, 15.0% were admitted to the ICU and 10.5% underwent mechanical ventilation; 28 patients (8.4%) died. In the multivariate adjustment model for emergency care, diabetes (prevalence ratio, PR 1.38; 95% CI 1.11 to 1.73; p=0.004), kidney disease (PR 1.36; 95% CI 1.05 to 1.77; p=0.020), oral glucocorticoids (GC) (PR 1.49; 95% CI 1.21 to 1.85; p50 years (PR 1.89; 95% CI 1.26 to 2.85; p=0.002), no use of tumour necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) (PR 2.51;95% CI 1.16 to 5.45; p=0.004) and methylprednisolone pulse therapy (PR 2.50; 95% CI 1.59 to 3.92; p<0.001); for ICU admission, oral GC (PR 2.24; 95% CI 1.36 to 3.71; p<0.001) and pulse therapy with methylprednisolone (PR 1.65; 95% CI 1.00 to 2.68; p<0.043); the two variables associated with death were pulse therapy with methylprednisolone or cyclophosphamide (PR 2.86; 95% CI 1.59 to 5.14; p<0.018). Conclusions Age >50 years and immunosuppression with GC and cyclophosphamide were associated with unfavourable outcomes of COVID-19. Treatment with TNFi may have been protective, perhaps leading to the COVID-19 inflammatory process

Trajetórias da Educomunicação nas Políticas Públicas e a Formação de seus Profissionais

Esta obra é composta com os trabalhos apresentados no primeiro subtema, TRAJETÓRIA – Educação para a Comunicação como Política pública, nas perspectivas da Educomunicação e da Mídia-Educação, do II Congresso Internacional de Comunicação e Educação. Os artigos pretendem propiciar trocas de informações e produzir reflexões com os leitores sobre os caminhos percorridos, e ainda a percorrer, tendo como meta a expansão e a legitimação das práticas educomunicativas e/ou mídia-educativas como política pública para o atendimento à formação de crianças, adolescentes, jovens e adultos, no Brasil e no mundo

The Genome of Anopheles darlingi, the main neotropical malaria vector

Anopheles darlingi is the principal neotropical malaria vector, responsible for more than a million cases of malaria per year on the American continent. Anopheles darlingi diverged from the African and Asian malaria vectors ∼100 million years ago (mya) and successfully adapted to the New World environment. Here we present an annotated reference A. darlingi genome, sequenced from a wild population of males and females collected in the Brazilian Amazon. A total of 10 481 predicted protein-coding genes were annotated, 72% of which have their closest counterpart in Anopheles gambiae and 21% have highest similarity with other mosquito species. In spite of a long period of divergent evolution, conserved gene synteny was observed between A. darlingi and A. gambiae. More than 10 million single nucleotide polymorphisms and short indels with potential use as genetic markers were identified. Transposable elements correspond to 2.3% of the A. darlingi genome. Genes associated with hematophagy, immunity and insecticide resistance, directly involved in vectorhuman and vectorparasite interactions, were identified and discussed. This study represents the first effort to sequence the genome of a neotropical malaria vector, and opens a new window through which we can contemplate the evolutionary history of anopheline mosquitoes. It also provides valuable information that may lead to novel strategies to reduce malaria transmission on the South American continent. The A. darlingi genome is accessible at www.labinfo.lncc.br/index.php/anopheles- darlingi. © 2013 The Author(s)

Educomunicação e suas áreas de intervenção: Novos paradigmas para o diálogo intercultural

oai:omp.abpeducom.org.br:publicationFormat/1O material aqui divulgado representa, em essência, a contribuição do VII Encontro Brasileiro de Educomunicação ao V Global MIL Week, da UNESCO, ocorrido na ECA/USP, entre 3&nbsp;e 5 de novembro de 2016. Estamos diante de um conjunto de 104 papers executivos, com uma média de entre 7 e 10 páginas, cada um. Com este rico e abundante material, chegamos ao sétimo e-book publicado pela ABPEducom, em seus seis primeiros anos de existência. A especificidade desta obra é a de trazer as “Áreas de Intervenção” do campo da Educomunicação, colocando-as a serviço de uma meta essencial ao agir educomunicativo: o diálogo intercultural, trabalhado na linha do tema geral do evento internacional: Media and Information Literacy: New Paradigms for Intercultural Dialogue

Evaluation of T-SPOT-TB test in diagnosis of latent tuberculosis infection in rheumatoid arthritis patients

Made available in DSpace on 2012-05-07T14:40:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license.txt: 1748 bytes, checksum: 8a4605be74aa9ea9d79846c1fba20a33 (MD5) 000010.pdf: 9541333 bytes, checksum: 72069107f24734738e743c5d0bc4e1a7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Aggeu Magalhães. Recife, PE, Brasil.Com a introdução dos Inibidores do Fator de Necrose Tumoral (anti-TNF's) na prática reumatológica, a identificação de casos de infecção tuberculosa latente (ITBL) passou a ser obrigatória antes do início da terapêutica. O teste cutâneo da tuberculina (PPD) não é um teste de screening ideal neste grupo de pacientes, pois apresentam uma resposta inadequada de hipersensibilidade tardia, fundamental para que se produza uma resposta ao antígeno inoculado. Ensaios baseados na detecção da produção de IFN gama in-vitro por células mononucleares periféricas estimuladas por antígenos específicos (ESAT-6 e CFP-10) são mais específicos do que o PPD na detecção de ITBL. O objetivo do nosso estudo foi avaliar o desempenho do T-SPOT.TB no diagnóstico de ITBL em pacientes portadores de artrite reumatóide (AR). Foi realizado um estudo transversal, para avaliação de teste diagnóstico, onde foram incluídos 96 pacientes, divididos em dois grupos - 48 portadores de AR (grupo AR) e 48 pessoas saudáveis, que constituíram o grupo de comparação (grupo COMP). Todos os voluntários foram submetidos a uma entrevista, coleta de sangue para realização do T-SPOT.TB seguida da inoculação da PPD. O T-SPOT.TB foi realizado de acordo com as orientações do fabricante e a leitura do PPD foi realizada após 72 horas da inoculação. Foram calculados a sensibilidade e a especificidade do T-SPOT.TB comparado com o padrão ouro. Uma vez que o PPD é considerado como padrão ouro imperfeito, foram criados quatro modelos para o estudo: PPD isolado; PPD e alterações radiográficas compatíveis com ITBL; PPD e história contato intra-domiciliar e PPD, alterações radiográficas e contato intradomiciliar. A especificidade do T-SPOT.TB variou entre 87 e 90 por cento e o valor preditivo negativo (VPN), entre 94,4 e 100 por cento. A sensibilidade foi 100 por cento nos modelos que não incluíram o RX, caindo para 77,8 e 89,5 por cento nos dois outros. No grupo AR a freqüência de infecção latente diagnosticada pelo PPD foi inferior (14,6 por cento) à encontrada no grupo de comparação (33,3 por cento), com uma diferença estatisticamente significante (p=0,034), o que não ocorreu no grupo COMP. Esta diferença pode ser explicada pelo comprometimento da hipersensibilidade tardia em pacientes com AR. Concluindo, podemos dizer que o T-SPOT.TB apresenta uma especificidade e VPN elevados, sendo capaz de identificar os casos de PPD falso negativos, aumentando a segurança para o uso do anti-TN

High frequency of asymptomatic hyperparathyroidism in patients with fibromyalgia: random association or misdiagnosis?

ABSTRACT Fibromyalgia (FM) and hyperparathyroidism may present similar symptoms (musculoskeletal pain, cognitive disorders, insomnia, depression and anxiety), causing diagnostic confusion. Objectives: To determine the frequency of asymptomatic hyperparathyroidism in a sample of patients with FM and to evaluate the association of laboratory abnormalities to clinical symptoms. Methods: Cross-sectional study with 100 women with FM and 57 healthy women (comparison group). Parathyroid hormone (PTH), calcium and albumin levels were accessed, as well as symptoms in the FM group. Results: In FM group, mean serum calcium (9.6 ± 0.98 mg/dL) and PTH (57.06 ± 68.98 pg/mL) values were considered normal, although PTH levels had been significantly higher than in the comparison group (37.12 ± 19.02 pg/mL; p = 0.001). Hypercalcemic hyperparathyroidism was diagnosed in 6% of patients with FM, and 17% of these women exhibited only high levels of PTH, featuring a normocalcemic hyperparathyroidism, with higher frequencies than those expected for their age. There was no significant association between hyperparathyroidism and FM symptoms, except for epigastric pain, which was more frequent in the group of patients concomitantly with both diseases (p = 0.012). Conclusions: A high frequency of hyperparathyroidism was noted in women with FM versus the general population. Normocalcemic hyperparathyroidism was also more frequent in patients with FM. Longitudinal studies with greater number of patients are needed to assess whether this is an association by chance only, if the increased serum levels of PTH are part of FM pathophysiology, or even if these would not be cases of FM, but of hyperparathyroidism

High frequency of asymptomatic hyperparathyroidism in patients with fibromyalgia: random association or misdiagnosis?

ABSTRACT Fibromyalgia (FM) and hyperparathyroidism may present similar symptoms (musculoskeletal pain, cognitive disorders, insomnia, depression and anxiety), causing diagnostic confusion. Objectives: To determine the frequency of asymptomatic hyperparathyroidism in a sample of patients with FM and to evaluate the association of laboratory abnormalities to clinical symptoms. Methods: Cross-sectional study with 100 women with FM and 57 healthy women (comparison group). Parathyroid hormone (PTH), calcium and albumin levels were accessed, as well as symptoms in the FM group. Results: In FM group, mean serum calcium (9.6 ± 0.98 mg/dL) and PTH (57.06 ± 68.98 pg/mL) values were considered normal, although PTH levels had been significantly higher than in the comparison group (37.12 ± 19.02 pg/mL; p = 0.001). Hypercalcemic hyperparathyroidism was diagnosed in 6% of patients with FM, and 17% of these women exhibited only high levels of PTH, featuring a normocalcemic hyperparathyroidism, with higher frequencies than those expected for their age. There was no significant association between hyperparathyroidism and FM symptoms, except for epigastric pain, which was more frequent in the group of patients concomitantly with both diseases (p = 0.012). Conclusions: A high frequency of hyperparathyroidism was noted in women with FM versus the general population. Normocalcemic hyperparathyroidism was also more frequent in patients with FM. Longitudinal studies with greater number of patients are needed to assess whether this is an association by chance only, if the increased serum levels of PTH are part of FM pathophysiology, or even if these would not be cases of FM, but of hyperparathyroidism