Frequency of , , and Gene Polymorphisms and Their Association with Malaria and Genomic Ancestry.

Polymorphisms in cytokine genes can alter the production of these proteins and consequently affect the immune response. The trihybrid heterogeneity of the Brazilian population is characterized as a condition for the use of ancestry informative markers. The objective of this study was to evaluate the frequency of -, , and - gene polymorphisms and their association with malaria and genomic ancestry.

Opportunistic infections among individuals with HIV-1/AIDS in the highly active antiretroviral therapy era at a Quaternary Level Care Teaching Hospital.

Introduction: In this study, clinical-laboratory and epidemiological characteristics are described for a group of 700 individuals with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus)/AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) in the ART (antiretroviral therapy) era at a teaching hospital that provides a quaternary level of care, with an emphasis on opportunistic infections (OIs), co-infections and immune profile.

Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study of AIDS cases was conducted from 1998 to 2008 by reviewing medical records from the Base Hospital/FUNFARME (Fundação Faculdade Regional de Medicina), São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.

Results: The individuals were 14 to 75 years of age, and 458 were males.

Humoral immune responses against the malaria vaccine candidate antigen Plasmodium vivax AMA-1 and IL-4 gene polymorphisms in individuals living in an endemic area of the Brazilian Amazon.

Background: Several studies have recently demonstrated that the immune responses against malaria is governed by different factors, including the genetic components of the host. The IL-4 gene appears to be a strong candidate factor because of its role in the regulation of the Th2 response. The present study investigated the role of IL-4 polymorphisms in the development of IgG antibodies against PvAMA-1 and the IL-4 levels in individuals infected with Plasmodium vivax in a malaria endemic area in the Brazilian Amazon.

Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex by nested polymerase chain reaction in pulmonary and extrapulmonary specimens.

Objective: To compare the performance of nested polymerase chain reaction (NPCR) with that of cultures in the detection of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in pulmonary and extrapulmonary specimens.

Methods: We analyzed 20 and 78 pulmonary and extrapulmonary specimens, respectively, of 67 hospitalized patients suspected of having tuberculosis. An automated microbial system was used for the identification of Mycobacterium spp.