Genetic Markers Associated to Dyslipidemia in HIV-Infected Individuals on HAART

This study evaluated the impact of 9 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 6 candidate genes (APOB, APOA5, APOE, APOC3, SCAP, and LDLR) over dyslipidemia in HIV-infected patients on stable antiretroviral therapy (ART) with undetectable viral loads. Blood samples were collected from 614 patients at reference services in the cities of Porto Alegre, Pelotas, and Rio Grande in Brazil. The SNPs were genotyped by conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and real-time PCR. The prevalence of dyslipidemia was particularly high among the protease inhibitors-treated patients (79%). APOE (rs429358 and rs7412) genotypes and APOA5 −1131T>C (rs662799) were associated with plasma triglycerides (TG) and low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol levels (LDL-C). The APOA5 −1131T>C (rs662799) and SCAP 2386A>G (rs12487736) polymorphisms were significantly associated with high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol levels. The mean values of the total cholesterol and LDL-C levels were associated with both the APOB SP Ins/Del (rs17240441) and APOB XbaI (rs693) polymorphisms. In conclusion, our data support the importance of genetic factors in the determination of lipid levels in HIV-infected individuals. Due to the relatively high number of carriers of these risk variants, studies to verify treatment implications of genotyping before HAART initiation may be advisable to guide the selection of an appropriate antiretroviral therapy regimen

Search for eccentric black hole coalescences during the third observing run of LIGO and Virgo

Despite the growing number of confident binary black hole coalescences observed through gravitational waves so far, the astrophysical origin of these binaries remains uncertain. Orbital eccentricity is one of the clearest tracers of binary formation channels. Identifying binary eccentricity, however, remains challenging due to the limited availability of gravitational waveforms that include effects of eccentricity. Here, we present observational results for a waveform-independent search sensitive to eccentric black hole coalescences, covering the third observing run (O3) of the LIGO and Virgo detectors. We identified no new high-significance candidates beyond those that were already identified with searches focusing on quasi-circular binaries. We determine the sensitivity of our search to high-mass (total mass M>70 M⊙) binaries covering eccentricities up to 0.3 at 15 Hz orbital frequency, and use this to compare model predictions to search results. Assuming all detections are indeed quasi-circular, for our fiducial population model, we place an upper limit for the merger rate density of high-mass binaries with eccentricities 0<e≤0.3 at 0.33 Gpc−3 yr−1 at 90\% confidence level

Ultralight vector dark matter search using data from the KAGRA O3GK run

Among the various candidates for dark matter (DM), ultralight vector DM can be probed by laser interferometric gravitational wave detectors through the measurement of oscillating length changes in the arm cavities. In this context, KAGRA has a unique feature due to differing compositions of its mirrors, enhancing the signal of vector DM in the length change in the auxiliary channels. Here we present the result of a search for U(1)B−L gauge boson DM using the KAGRA data from auxiliary length channels during the first joint observation run together with GEO600. By applying our search pipeline, which takes into account the stochastic nature of ultralight DM, upper bounds on the coupling strength between the U(1)B−L gauge boson and ordinary matter are obtained for a range of DM masses. While our constraints are less stringent than those derived from previous experiments, this study demonstrates the applicability of our method to the lower-mass vector DM search, which is made difficult in this measurement by the short observation time compared to the auto-correlation time scale of DM

Atraso na busca por serviço de saúde para o diagnóstico da tuberculose em Ribeirão Preto (SP) Delay in the search for health services for the diagnosis of tuberculosis in Ribeirao Preto, Sao Paulo

Foi analisado o atraso na busca por serviço de saúde para o diagnóstico da Tuberculose (TB) em Ribeirão Preto, 2009, em um estudo epidemiológico, transversal, realizado com 94 doentes. Utilizou-se questionário baseado no Primary Care Assessment Tool, adaptado para avaliar a atenção à TB. Estabeleceu-se a mediana (15 dias ou mais) para caracterizar atraso na busca pelo primeiro atendimento. Através da Razão de Prevalência, identificaram-se as variáveis relacionadas ao maior atraso. O primeiro serviço de saúde procurado foi o de pronto atendimento (57,4%). Verificou-se um maior tempo na procura pelos serviços de saúde entre os doentes: do sexo masculino; com idade entre 50 a 59 anos; com renda familiar inferior a cinco salários mínimos; forma pulmonar; casos novos; não coinfecção TB/HIV; não consumiam bebida alcoólica, conhecimento satisfatório sobre TB (apresentou significância estatística na associação com o atraso) e que não procuravam o serviço de saúde próximo do domicílio antes de ter TB. Verificou-se a necessidade de capacitação para os profissionais de saúde quanto aos sinais e sintomas da doença, reduzindo as barreiras de acesso ao diagnóstico oportuno da TB e divulgação ampla para a comunidade em geral.<br>The scope of this paper is to analyze delays in locating health services for the diagnosis of tuberculosis in Ribeirao Preto in 2009. An epidemiological and cross-sectional study was conducted with 94 TB patients undergoing treatment. A structured questionnaire, based on the Primary Care Assessment Tool adapted for TB care was used. A median (15 days or more) was established to characterize delay in health attendance. Using the Prevalence Ratio, the variables associated with longer delay were identified. The first healthcare services sought were the Emergency Services (ES) (57.5%). The longest period between seeking assistance occurred among males, aged between 50 and 59, who earned less than five minimum wages, had pulmonary TB, were new cases, were not co-infected with TB/HIV, did not consume alcohol, had satisfactory knowledge about TB before diagnosis (with a statistically significant association with delay) and who did not seek healthcare close to home before developing TB. There is a perceived need for training healthcare professionals about the signs and symptoms of the disease, reducing barriers of access to timely diagnosis of TB and widely disseminating it to the community in general