Social representations of tuberculosis by people with the disease.

Objective: To understand the social representations of people with tuberculosis about the disease and its implications for following treatment.

Method: A descriptive, qualitative study based on the Theory of Social Representations. It was conducted in a municipal health unit in the city of Belém.

Frequency and clinical characteristics of hypophysitis and hypopituitarism in patients undergoing immunotherapy - A systematic review.

Objective: To describe the frequency of hypophysitis and hypopituitarism in cancer patients who are undergoing antineoplastic treatment with immunotherapy, as well as to describe the clinical, epidemiological, and demographic characteristics of these patients.

Methods: A systematic search of the literature in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, ClinicalTrials.gov and Cochrane Controlled Register of Trials took place on May 8 and 9, 2020.

Worldwide prevalence of PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway mutations in head and neck cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

A systematic review (SR) and meta-analysis were conducted to determine the prevalence of PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling pathway mutations in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC). Overall, 105 studies comprising 8630 patients and 1306 mutations were selected. The estimated mutations prevalence was 13 % for PIK3CA (95 % confidence interval [CI] = 11-14; I = 82 %; p < 0.

Retrospective clinical and epidemiological analysis of scorpionism at a referral hospital for the treatment of accidents by venomous animals in Alagoas State, Northeast Brazil, 2007-2017.

Scorpionism has a high incidence rate in Brazil. It is considered a serious public health problem mainly in tropical and subtropical regions around the world. The number of scorpion accidents have increased over the years and the highest frequencies have been reported mainly in the Brazilian Northeast region.

Cytokines and chemokines triggered by Chikungunya virus infection in human patients during the very early acute phase.

Background: The immune response against the Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) during the very early acute phase is not fully elucidated. Therefore we explored the cytokine and chemokine profile triggered by CHIKV in infected patients.

Methods: Cytokines, chemokines and C5a anaphylatoxin were analysed in serum from CHIKV-infected patients during the viraemic phase (mean 2.

Use of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and cerebral organoids in modeling the congenital infection and neuropathogenesis induced by Zika virus.

Infection with Zika virus (ZIKV) was recently demonstrated to be associated with damage to the central nervous system, especially microcephaly and the Guillain-Barré syndrome. This finding had alarmed public health agencies and mobilized institutions around the world to search for more information about the virus, its effects, pathophysiological mechanisms, and potential immunizations and treatments. Given the increasing interest in using iPSCs and cerebral organoids to model the congenital infection and neuropathogenesis induced by ZIKV, the aim of this review was to present an up-to-date summary of the publications on the association of ZIKV with microcephaly, using iPSCs and organoids.

The influence of metabolic profile of obese men on the severity of erectile dysfunction: are metabolically healthy obese individuals protected?

Objective: To determine the prevalence of erectile dysfunction (ED) in metabolically healthy obese (MHO) individuals, and to compare ED severity and hypogonadism prevalence in MHO, metabolically unhealthy obese (MUO) and metabolically healthy non-obese individuals.

Material And Methods: ED patients (n=460) were evaluated by standardized protocol, that included clinical evaluation, abridged 5-item version of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) questionnaire survey, and Penile Duplex Doppler Ultrasound (PDDU) exam. Patients were classified as obese [body mass index (BMI) ≥30.

Investigating brain structural patterns in first episode psychosis and schizophrenia using MRI and a machine learning approach.

In this study, we employed the Maximum Uncertainty Linear Discriminant Analysis (MLDA) to investigate whether the structural brain patterns in first episode psychosis (FEP) patients would be more similar to patients with chronic schizophrenia (SCZ) or healthy controls (HC), from a schizophrenia model perspective. Brain regions volumetric data were estimated by using MRI images of SCZ and FEP patients and HC. First, we evaluated the MLDA performance in discriminating SCZ from controls, which provided a score based on a model for changes in brain structure in SCZ.

Spread of Chikungunya Virus East/Central/South African Genotype in Northeast Brazil.

We investigated an outbreak of exanthematous illness in Maceió by using molecular surveillance; 76% of samples tested positive for chikungunya virus. Genetic analysis of 23 newly generated genomes identified the East/Central/South African genotype, suggesting that this lineage has persisted since mid-2014 in Brazil and may spread in the Americas and beyond.

Relative frequency, Possible Risk Factors, Viral Codetection Rates, and Seasonality of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Among Children With Lower Respiratory Tract Infection in Northeastern Brazil.

Few studies, each limited to a single major city, have investigated the prevalence and seasonal patterns of different viruses among children with low respiratory tract infections (LRTI) in Northeastern Brazil. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and of 7 other viruses in children for LRTI in 4 capitals from this region, and investigate their association with several risk factors, including meteorological data. From April 2012 to March 2013, 507 children, aged up to 24 months and hospitalized with LRTI in one of the participating centers at Aracajú, Salvador, Recife, and Maceió, had a sample of nasopharyngeal aspirate collected and analyzed for the following viruses by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction followed by hybridization on low-density microarrays: RSV, influenza, parainfluenza, adenovirus, rhinovirus, metapneumovirus, bocavirus, and coronavirus.

Effects of angiotensin II type I receptor blocker losartan on orthodontic tooth movement.

Introduction: Drugs that block the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) are widely used for treating hypertension, heart and kidney failure, and the harmful effects of diabetes. Components of the RAS have been identified in various organs, but little is known of their effects on bone remodeling. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the blockage of the RAS influences strain-induced bone remodeling in a model of orthodontic tooth movement.

Prevalence of syphilis, human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B virus, and human T-lymphotropic virus infections and coinfections during prenatal screening in an urban Northeastern Brazilian population.

Objectives: To evaluate prevalences of Treponema pallidum, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV), and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections and coinfections during prenatal screening in an urban Northeastern Brazilian population through a large dataset.

Methods: Secondary data were obtained from the Maceió (Alagoas, Brazil) municipal prenatal screening program from June 2007 to May 2012. Dried blood serum tests from 54,813 pregnant women were examined to determine prevalences of T.

Opportunistic pathogens and elements of the resistome that are common in bottled mineral water support the need for continuous surveillance.

Several differences concerning bacterial species, opportunistic pathogens, elements of the resistome as well as variations concerning the CFU/mL counts were identified in some of the five most marketed bottled mineral water from Araraquara city, São Paulo, Brazil. Two out of five brands tested were confirmed as potential source of opportunistic pathogens, including Mycobacterium gordonae, Ralstonia picketti and Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc). A total of one hundred and six isolates were recovered from four of these bottled mineral water brands.

Effect of Lithothamnium sp and calcium supplements in strain- and infection-induced bone resorption.

Objective: To investigate the effect of Lithothamnium sp (LTT) supplement, a calcium-rich alga widely used for mineral reposition, on strain-induced (orthodontic tooth movement [OTM]) and infection-induced bone resorption (periodontal disease [PD]) in mice.

Materials And Methods: Mice were divided into two bone resorption models: one with an orthodontic appliance and the other with PD induced by the oral inoculation of Aggregatibacter actinomycetencomitans (Aa). Both groups were fed a regular diet (vehicle), LTT-rich diet (LTT), or calcium-rich diet (CaCO3).

The effect of CCL3 and CCR1 in bone remodeling induced by mechanical loading during orthodontic tooth movement in mice.

Bone remodeling is affected by mechanical loading and inflammatory mediators, including chemokines. The chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 3 (CCL3) is involved in bone remodeling by binding to C-C chemokine receptors 1 and 5 (CCR1 and CCR5) expressed on osteoclasts and osteoblasts. Our group has previously demonstrated that CCR5 down-regulates mechanical loading-induced bone resorption.

Experimental model of tooth movement in mice: a standardized protocol for studying bone remodeling under compression and tensile strains.

During orthodontic tooth movement (OTM), alveolar bone is resorbed by osteoclasts in compression sites (CS) and is deposited by osteoblasts in tension sites (TS). The aim of this study was to develop a standardized OTM protocol in mice and to investigate the expression of bone resorption and deposition markers in CS and TS. An orthodontic appliance was placed in C57BL6/J mice.

[Prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents from the city of Maceió (AL)].

Objective: To establish prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents from the city of Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil, and investigate the association of risk of overweight and obesity with gender, age and type of school.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. Students between 7 and 17 years of age were selected from 396 public and private schools of Maceió.

A comparative study of the effects of laser photobiomodulation on the healing of third-degree burns: a histological study in rats.

Objective: The aim of this investigation was to compare by light microscopy the effects of laser photobiomodulation at wavelengths of 660 and 780 nm on third-degree burns in Wistar rats.

Background Data: Burns are severe injuries that result in the loss of fluid and destruction of tissue, infection, and shock that may result in death. Laser energy has been suggested as an effective method to improve wound healing.

Effectiveness of laser photobiomodulation at 660 or 780 nanometers on the repair of third-degree burns in diabetic rats.

Objective: The aim of this investigation was to compare by light microscopy the effects of laser photobiomodulation (LPBM) at lambda = 660 nm and lambda = 780 nm on third-degree burns in diabetic Wistar rats.

Background Data: Burns are severe injuries that result in fluid loss, tissue destruction, infection, and shock, that may result in death. Diabetes is a disease that reduces the body's ability to heal properly.

[Prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in child and adolescent students in the city of Maceió].

Objective: To determine the prevalence of systemic arterial hypertension (SAH), "risk of overweight," overweight, sedentary lifestyle, and smoking in children and adolescents from 7 to 17 years of age, of both sexes, in public and private schools in the city of Marceió, in the state of Alagoas.

Methods: A cross-sectional epidemiological study with sampling from a population pool was carried out. It comprised elementary and middle schools, randomly selected.

[Prevalence of high blood pressure in children and adolescents from the city of Maceió, Brazil].

Objectives: To define the prevalence of high blood pressure in a representative sample of children and adolescents from the city of Maceió, state of Alagoas, Brazil, and to investigate the association of high blood pressure with age, sex and nutritional status.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out from May 2000 to September 2002. Individuals between 7 and 17 years of age were selected among all the 185,702 students from public and private schools.