Fibromyalgia in patients infected with HTLV-1 and HTLV-2.

Background: Reports on the association between HTLV-2 infection and the development of diseases in the human host are rare, which has led the scientific community to believe that HTLV-2 is not an important etiological agent of lymphoproliferative or neurodegenerative disorders, which is the case for HTLV-1. In the present study, we demonstrated cases of fibromyalgia in HTLV-1 carriers and, in an unprecedented finding, in two patients with confirmed HTLV-2 infection.

Methods: A total of 957 individuals visited the Virology Laboratory at the Federal University of Pará for screening and confirmation tests for HTLV-1/2 infection.

Decrease in naïve T cell production due to HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) development.

Human T-lymphocytic virus 1 (HTLV-1) is mainly associated with adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) and HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). Patients with HAM/TSP exhibit significant changes in their immune response, and HTLV-1 infection can interfere in cytokine production and perhaps in T cell production. The aims of this study were to evaluate thymic function in HAM/TSP patients and HTLV-1 healthy carriers (HCs) and correlate it to age and interleukin 7 (IL-7) gene expression.

Incomplete myelopathy and human T cell lymphotropic virus type-1 (HTLV-1).

This was a cross-sectional prospective study. We performed a multivariate statistical analysis of the neurological signs and symptoms of patients infected with human T cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) in an attempt to separate them into distinct groups and identify clinical-neurological manifestations that could differentiate the various profiles. The study was performed in the city of Belém (state of Pará), located in the Amazon region of Brazil, from 2014 to 2016.

Correction: CT Chest and pulmonary functional changes in patients with HTLV-associated myelopathy in the Eastern Brazilian Amazon.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

CT Chest and pulmonary functional changes in patients with HTLV-associated myelopathy in the Eastern Brazilian Amazon.

The aim of this study was to compare computed tomography (CT) scans of chest and lung function among patients with Human T-Lymphotropic Virus Type 1 (HTLV) with and without HTLV-1 associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). In this cross-sectional study performed between January 2013 and June 2016, we included 48 patients with HAM/TSP (19 women and 11 men) and without HAM/TSP (12 women and 6 men). We compared CT findings and lung functions of these groups.

Hypomyopathic dermatomyositis associated with interstitial lung disease and good response to mycophenolate mofetil: case-based review.

Hypomyopathic dermatomyositis (HDM) is a rare form of dermatomyositis (DM). Interstitial lung disease (ILD) associated with clinically amyopathic DM (CADM-ILD) or hypomyopathic DM (HDM-ILD) is a rare condition with a more unfavorable prognosis than ILD associated with classic DM (CDM-ILD). There is no effective treatment for HDM-ILD.

HTLV-1, Immune Response and Autoimmunity.

Human T-lymphotropic virus type-1 (HTLV-1) infection is associated with adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL). Tropical spastic paraparesis/HTLV-1-associated myelopathy (PET/HAM) is involved in the development of autoimmune diseases including Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), and Sjögren's Syndrome (SS). The development of HTLV-1-driven autoimmunity is hypothesized to rely on molecular mimicry, because virus-like particles can trigger an inflammatory response.

Formation of multiple pulmonary nodules during treatment with leflunomide.

Pulmonary involvement is one of the extra-articular manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis and can be due to the disease itself or secondary to the medications used in order to treat it. We report the case of a 60-year-old woman who had been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and developed multiple pulmonary nodules during treatment with leflunomide.

A comparison of quality of life, demographic and clinical characteristics of Brazilian men with fibromyalgia syndrome with male patients with depression.

The primary aim of this study was to assess the quality of life (Qol) in men with fibromyalgia (FM) as compared to the Qol of depressive patients, using the SF-36 questionnaire. The secondary objectives were as follows: to describe demographic and clinical characteristics of male patients with FM; to evaluate basal levels of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) and total testosterone in both groups; and to investigate the relationship among pain, tender points, anxiety, and depression in these patients. Fifty men with FM and 20 depressed males, matched by age and body mass index entered the study.