Publications by authors named "Claudia L Vitral"

Objective: This study aimed to assess physicians' knowledge about human papillomavirus infection and its prevention.

Methods: Descriptive web-based survey with 15 objective questions targeted to physicians affiliated with the Regional Council of Medicine from Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. Participants were invited by e-mail and the Council social networks, between January and December 2019.

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Introduction: The Amazon tropical rainforest has the most dense and diverse ecosystem worldwide. A few studies have addressed rodent-borne diseases as potential hazards to humans in this region.

Methods: A retrospective survey was conducted using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detecting mammarenavirus and orthohantavirus antibodies in 206 samples collected from rural settlers of the Brazilian Western Amazonian region.

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Objective: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most prevalent sexually transmitted virus in the world and is associated with an increased risk of cervical cancer. The most effective approach to cervical cancer control continues to be screening through the preventive Papanicolaou test (Pap test). This study analyzes the knowledge of university students of health science programs as well as undergraduate courses in other areas of knowledge on important questions regarding HPV.

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Hepatitis E virus is increasingly being associated with idiopathic neurological disease. We tested 325 stool samples from Brazilian children presenting acute flaccid paralysis or Guillain-Barré syndrome using a broadly reactive and sensitive Reverse-transcription Polymerase chain reaction. Hepatitis E genome was not detected in any of the samples tested.

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The complement system plays an important role in innate immunity inducing liver diseases as well as signaling immune cell activation in local inflammation regulating immunomodulatory effects such as liver damage and/or liver regeneration. Our aim is to evaluate the role of complement components in acute liver failure (ALF) caused by viral hepatitis, involving virus-induced ALF in human subjects using peripheral blood, samples of liver tissues, and ex vivo assays. Our findings displayed low levels of C3a in plasma samples with high frequency of C3a, C5a, and C5b/9 deposition in liver parenchyma.

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This cross-sectional study was carried out between August 2011 and July 2012 in the city of Campos dos Goytacazes in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. Dried blood spot samples were collected on filter paper from 919 individuals between the ages of 1 and 19 and were tested for antibodies against the hepatitis A virus (anti-HAV). The total prevalence was 20.

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Aim: To study the differences in immune response and cytokine profile between acute liver failure and self-limited acute hepatitis.

Methods: Forty-six patients with self-limited acute hepatitis (AH), sixteen patients with acute liver failure (ALF), and twenty-two healthy subjects were involved in this study. The inflammatory and anti-inflammatory products in plasma samples were quantified using commercial enzyme-linked immunoassays and quantitative real-time PCR.

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Based on current studies on the effects of single dose vaccines on antibody production, Latin American countries have adopted a single dose vaccine program. However, no data are available on the activation of cellular response to a single dose of hepatitis A. Our study investigated the functional reactivity of the memory cell phenotype after hepatitis A virus (HAV) stimulation through administration of the first or second dose of HAV vaccine and compared the response to that of a baseline group to an initial natural infection.

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Background: Hepatitis A virus (HAV) and hepatitis E virus (HEV) are both transmitted by the faecal-oral route, and represent common causes of acute hepatitis in developing countries. The endemicity of HAV infection has shifted from high to moderate in Brazil. Human cases of HEV infection seem to be rare, although the virus has been detected in swine livestock and effluents of slaughterhouses.

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Article Synopsis
  • A study in Brazil shows that, while hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection rates have decreased overall, children with low socioeconomic status living in urban peripheries remain highly susceptible to infection, particularly those under five years old (up to 90%).
  • The research found that anti-HAV antibody prevalence increased with age, reaching over 50% in children aged 10-14, suggesting areas with intermediate levels of HAV endemicity among disadvantaged populations.
  • Current hepatitis A vaccinations in Brazil are limited to high-risk groups or private clinics, making them inaccessible to low SES individuals; thus, the study advocates for the inclusion of the hepatitis A vaccine in the Brazilian National Immunization Program.
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This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of hepatitis E antibodies (anti-HEV) among individuals exposed to swine in the rural areas of the state of Mato Grosso (MT) in Brazil. The study included 310 participants who had an average age of 39 years. Fifty-one per cent of the participants were female and 26 (8.

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Active hepatitis E virus (HEV) infections in two Brazilian swine herds were investigated. In study 1, 26 piglets born to five anti-HEV positive sows were monitored from birth to post-partum week 22. Serum samples were screened for the detection of anti-HEV antibodies and a nested RT-PCR used to examine the HEV genome.

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This article discusses the linking of data from SINAN (the Reportable Diseases Database) and population census in Brazil to identify the socio-environmental context of hepatitis A, analyzing the contribution by environmental and socio-demographic variables to reported and confirmed cases of hepatitis A. Also, based on individual case data provided by SINAN, we discuss the pattern of hepatitis A endemicity in the city of Rio de Janeiro. At the aggregate level, the unit of analysis was the census tract and census data, associated with the location of 1,553 cases in the city from 1999 to 2001.

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The prevalence of hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection is high in developing countries, in which low standards of sanitation promote the transmission of the virus. In Latin America, which is considered an area of high HAV endemicity, most HAV-positive individuals are infected in early childhood However recent studies have shown that prevalence rates are decreasing. Herein, we review the data on HAV prevalence and outbreaks available in scientific databases.

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Serological evidence of hepatitis E virus infection (HEV) has been observed in both humans and different animal species living in non-endemic areas, suggesting that animals could be important reservoir for virus transmission to man. Antibodies to HEV have been detected in some Brazilian population groups. Nevertheless, sporadic cases of acute HEV infection have never been reported.

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We investigated the seroprevalence of hepatitis A virus (HAV) and hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection in subjects living in the community of Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and assisted at the Health Unit of Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. After formal consent, individuals were submitted to an interview using a standardized questionnaire. Anti-HAV and anti-HEV antibodies were detected by ELISA.

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Non-human primates have been playing an essential role in the study of hepatitis A virus (HAV) biology, pathogenesis and for testing candidate HAV vaccines. This study was to determine the suitability of squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) as animal model for HAV infection. Animals were inoculated, either intragastrically or intravenously, with a Brazilian HAV isolate (HAF-203).

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