Immunological impact of cytokines on the chikungunya virus pathophysiology: A literature narrative review.

The chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a member of the genus Alphavirus, family Togaviridae. CHIKV causes an acute systemic febrile condition, accompanied by severe polyarthralgia, intense muscle pain, and maculopapular exanthema, which may still occur in many patients. In rare cases, unusual symptoms may occur, eventually worsening the condition and resulting in a fatal outcome.

Sociodemographic Characteristics and Comorbidities of Patients With Long COVID and Persistent Olfactory Dysfunction.

Importance: Determining the characteristics, type, and severity of olfactory dysfunction in patients with long COVID is important for the prognosis and potential treatment of the affected population.

Objective: To describe the sociodemographic and clinical features of patients with long COVID who develop persistent olfactory dysfunction.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cross-sectional study, conducted at a rehabilitation center at a public university in the Amazon region of Brazil between September 9, 2020, and October 20, 2021, comprised 219 patients with long COVID and self-reported neurologic symptoms.

Cryptococcosis in the Amazon: A current overview and future perspectives.

The Amazon region or regional Amazon complex includes nine states of Brazil with an area of around 5.1 million km, which is almost 60% of the country's territory. The sanitary conditions in this region are reflected by illness resulting from substandard living conditions and limited access to prevention measures and health care, in addition to the epidemiological profile of cryptococcosis.

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.

Characterization of the Gamboa Virus Serogroup ( Genus, Family).

Comprehensive comparative phylogenetic analyses were performed on 17 Gamboa serogroup viruses (GAMSVs) from distinct geographic regions in the Americas and other representative members of the genus (Peribunyaviridae), based on small (S), medium (M), and large (L) open reading frame full-length and partial sequences. Genome characterization showed that the GAMSVs divide into four clades or genotypes. The GAMSVs have a genetic organization similar to other orthobunyaviruses, except that they have a larger NSm protein than other orthobunyaviruses.

Leprosy As a Complex Infection: Breakdown of the Th1 and Th2 Immune Paradigm in the Immunopathogenesis of the Disease.

Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease whose evolution involves complex immune mechanisms of the host that influence the clinical presentation of the disease. For many years, the main interpretation of the host defense response was based on characterization of the established immune paradigm between T helper (Th) 1 and Th2 lymphocytes. However, with advances in the knowledge of immunology, new approaches have emerged along with the development of new immunological pathways that have changed the interpretation of the long-established paradigm of the polar forms of the disease, especially with the identification of new subtypes of T lymphocytes such as Th9, Th17, Th22, and Tregs.

IL-37 and leprosy: A novel cytokine involved in the host response to Mycobacterium leprae infection.

Leprosy is a chronic infectious granulomatous disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae, in which the clinical outcome depends on the pattern of the host immune response. Because it is a spectral disease, leprosy is a good model for studying the immunology of the pathogen-host relationship. Although previous studies have characterized the participation of cytokine profiles such as Th1, Th2, Th7, Treg, Th9, and Th22 responses in leprosy, the role of new cytokines such as IL-37 have not yet been described for the spectral model of the disease.

Response of iNOS and its relationship with IL-22 and STAT3 in macrophage activity in the polar forms of leprosy.

Leprosy is a chronic granulomatous infection that manifests as different clinical forms related to the immunological response. The aim of the study was to evaluated the response of IL-22, STAT3, CD68 and iNOS in leprosy skin lesions. The mean number IL-22 positive cells was 12.

Human kidney damage in fatal dengue hemorrhagic fever results of glomeruli injury mainly induced by IL17.

Acute kidney injury is an unusual complication during dengue infection. The objective of this study was to better identify the characteristics of glomerular changes focusing on in situ immune cells and cytokines. An immunohistochemical assay was performed on 20 kidney specimens from fatal human cases of dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF).

Immunohistochemical analysis of the expression of TNF-alpha, TGF-beta, and caspase-3 in subcutaneous tissue of patients with HIV lipodystrophy syndrome.

Introduction: HIV Lipodystrophy Syndrome (HIVLS) is a multifactorial clinical expression that presents alterations in the metabolism and distribution pattern of body fat via immunological changes capable of disrupting homeostasis. This study aimed to analyze the degree of inflammatory, anti-inflammatory, and apoptosis activity in the subcutaneous tissue of patients, based on the expression of Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α), Transforming Growth Factor-β (TGF-β), and caspase-3, respectively, and correlate them with clinical data and with each other.

Methods: This is a cross-analytical study.

Environmental impact and seroepidemiology of HTLV in two communities in the eastern Brazilian amazon.

The objective of this study was to detect antibodies for human T lymphotropic virus (HTLV) in subjects residing in two communities located in the eastern Brazilian Amazon and on the shores of the Tucuruí hydroelectric power plant. A total of 657 serum samples were analysed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with an anti-HTLV antibody (Symbiosis™, São Paulo, Brazil), demonstrating a virus prevalence of 4.7%.

Revisiting the clinical and histopathological aspects of patients with chromoblastomycosis from the Brazilian Amazon region.

Background And Aims: Chromoblastomycosis is a chronic fungal infection caused by species of the family Dematiaceae. Fonsecaea pedrosoi is the most common etiological agent. The objective of this study was to describe the epidemiological and mycological profile of patients with chromoblastomycosis from the Amazon region of Brazil and to correlate the clinical forms with the histopathological findings and severity criteria.

Transforming growth factor β and apoptosis in leprosy skin lesions: possible relationship with the control of the tissue immune response in the Mycobacterium leprae infection.

The course of leprosy depends of the host immune response which ranges from the lepromatous pole (LL) to the tuberculoid pole (TT). A comparative study was conducted in 60 patients with the LL and TT. The results showed a mean expression of TGF-β of 339 ± 99.

CD1a and factor XIIIa immunohistochemistry in leprosy: a possible role of dendritic cells in the pathogenesis of Mycobacterium leprae infection.

Leprosy is a curable chronic granulomatous infectious disease caused by the bacillus Mycobacterium leprae. This organism has a high affinity for skin and peripheral nerve cells. In the evolution of infections, the immune status of patients determines the disease expression.