Implementation of a Multiplex rRT-PCR for Zika, Chikungunya, and Dengue Viruses: Improving Arboviral Detection in an Endemic Region.

Arboviral diagnosis has been complicated throughout the tropical and subtropical Americas by the recent co-circulation of Zika virus (ZIKV), chikungunya virus (CHIKV), and dengue virus (DENV). The aim of this study was to implement a multiplex real-time RT-PCR (rRT-PCR) for ZIKV, CHIKV, and DENV in Paraguay to test patients who were clinically suspected of having dengue. We tested 110 sera from patients who presented to the Hospital de Clínicas in 2016 and had testing for DENV nonstructural protein 1 (NS1; 40 positive and 70 negative).

X ray screening at entry and systematic screening for the control of tuberculosis in a highly endemic prison.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is a major issue in prisons of low and middle income countries where TB incidence rates are much higher in prison populations as compared with the general population. In the Rio de Janeiro (RJ) State prison system, the TB control program is limited to passive case-finding and supervised short duration treatment. The aim of this study was to measure the impact of X-ray screening at entry associated with systematic screening on the prevalence and incidence of active TB.

Screening for tuberculosis on admission to highly endemic prisons? The case of Rio de Janeiro State prisons.

Setting: Rio de Janeiro (RJ) State prisons, where tuberculosis (TB) is highly endemic.

Objective: To measure TB prevalence, identify risk factors and ascertain the most appropriate screening method among inmates of the RJ prisons.

Design: Systematic chest X-rays (CXRs) were performed in 1696 male inmates of three RJ prisons.

[Minor cutaneous ambulatory surgery and cryotherapy. Comparative study between a dermatologist and family physicians].

Introduction: Lack of diagnostic skill in cutaneous surgery may lead to erroneous and potentially detrimental therapies. This study compares the diagnosis and treatment in cutaneous surgery, including cryotherapy, between a dermatologist and family physicians.

Methods: It is an observational, prospective study on a random sample of patients that consulted the dermatologist for candidate lesions.

[Tuberculosis in Rio de Janeiro prisons, Brazil: an urgent public health problem].

The tuberculosis incidence rate in prisons in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, was 30 times higher in 2004 than in the general population and is probably underestimated, particularly given the difficult access to care in the prison setting. To obtain a better estimate, a survey used systematic X-ray screening and showed a prevalence rate of 4.6% in one such detention facility, A (n = 1,052).