Methods of Cryptococcal Polysaccharide Analysis Using ELISA.

One of the standard assays for the fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans is the glucuronoxylomannan (GXM) ELISA. This assay utilizes monoclonal antibodies targeted against the critical virulence factor, the polysaccharide (PS) capsule. GXM ELISA is one of the most used assays in the field used for diagnosis of cryptococcal infection, quantification of PS content, and determination of binding specificity for antibodies.

A comparative analysis between atraumatic and conventional anesthetic techniques in surgical removal of upper third molars.

Pain control is essential in dental practice, and can be accomplished through various techniques. This study seeks to compare atraumatic and conventional anesthetic techniques, applied during surgeries to remove upper third molars. The endpoints evaluated were pain indices, patient satisfaction and anesthetic efficacy.

Dealing with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on a rapid response team operation in Brazil: Quality in practice.

Quality Problem Or Issue: Up to 13 July 2020, >12 million laboratory-confirmed cases of coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) infection have been reported worldwide, 1 864 681 in Brazil. We aimed to assess an intervention to deal with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the operations of a rapid response team (RRT).

Initial Assessment: An observational study with medical record review was carried out at a large tertiary care hospital in Fortaleza, a 400-bed quaternary hospital, 96 of which are intensive care unit beds.

Vulnerability factors associated with HIV/AIDS hospitalizations: a case-control study.

Objectives: to identify the association between HIV/AIDS hospitalizations and factors that integrate individual, social, and programmatic vulnerabilities.

Methods: a case-control study conducted in 2014 in a municipality in the state of São Paulo. "Cases" included people living with HIV (PLHIV) hospitalized and "control" those who were outpatients.

Usability and sensitivity of the risk of bias assessment tool for randomized controlled trials of pharmacist interventions.

Background The Cochrane collaboration risk of bias assessment (RoB) tool is used in several fields to evaluate the methodological quality of studies. Its strengths and challenges are discussed. Objective To assess the sensitivity of the RoB tool in studies of pharmacist interventions.

Health-related quality of life assessment among people living with HIV in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: a cross-sectional study.

Purpose: To assess health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and its associated factors among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Methods: A cross-sectional study including PLWHA receiving usual HIV-care at Instituto Nacional de Infectologia Evandro Chagas (INI/Fiocruz) was conducted between 2014 and 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The EQ-5D-3L assessed HRQoL; PHQ-2 and ASSIST were used for screening depression and substance use, respectively.

Ecoepidemiological aspects of visceral leishmaniasis in an endemic area in the Steel Valley in Brazil: An ecological approach with spatial analysis.

Leishmaniases are a group of infectious diseases transmitted by phlebotomine sand flies, and their distribution depends on the presence of vectors, parasites, reservoirs and susceptible hosts in the same environment. In the last decades, visceral leishmaniasis (VL) has become urbanized and reached economically important cities in countries within the transmission zone. Our study was conducted in one of those cities-Ipatinga-in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, where the first autochthonous case of VL dates back to 2011.

Adenomatous Tumors of the Middle Ear: A Literature Review.

 Neuroendocrine adenomas of the middle ear (NAME) are uncommon causes of middle ear masses. Mostly limited to case reports and small series, the literature is poor in providing an overall assessment of these tumors.  To review the current literature about all aspects of the disease, including its etiology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment.

Tuberculosis control in people living with HIV/AIDS.

Objective: to analyze the offering of health actions and services for the control of tuberculosis for people living with HIV/AIDS being followed up in the Specialized Care Services for HIV/AIDS in Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.

Method: quantitative, exploratory survey study. Participated 253 people living with HIV/AIDS followed up by this service, considering as inclusion criteria: individuals older than 18 years living in the city and not inmates.

A Systematic Review of Evidence-Based Community Pharmacy Services Aimed at the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease.

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide and has a substantial impact on people's health and quality of life. CVD also causes an increased use of health care resources and services, representing a significant proportion of health care expenditure. Integrating evidence-based community pharmacy services is seen as an asset to reduce the burden of CVD on individuals and the health care system.

Evaluation of the performance of Tuberculosis Control Programs in Brazil and Spain: an integrative review of the literature.

This is an integrative review of the literature, which sought to locate evidence regarding the evaluation of the performance of tuberculosis control programs in the Brazilian and Spanish contexts. Articles indexed in databases, search directories and virtual libraries produced in Brazil and Spain from 2002 to 2013 were selected. A total of 17 articles (9 Brazilian and 8 Spanish) were included for analysis.

Dienogest in the treatment of endometriosis: systematic review.

Purpose: Endometriosis is a prevalent disease that affects 5-15 % of women of reproductive age. The aim of this study is to assess the effect of dienogest in the treatment of endometriosis.

Methods: The search was applied to electronic databases PubMed, Cochrane, EMBASE and Lilacs until September 2014, in a public tertiary hospital.

[Provision of health care actions and services for the management of HIV/AIDS from the users' perspective].

Objective: To analyse the provision of health care actions and services for people living with AIDS and receiving specialised care in Ribeirão Preto, SP.

Method: A descriptive, exploratory, survey-type study that consisted of interviews with structured questionnaires and data analysis using descriptive statistics.

Results: The provision of health care actions and services is perceived as fair.

[Coordination of care for people living with HIV/AIDS in a city in São Paulo State, Brazil.].

The aim of this study was to analyze the coordination of health activities and services for persons living with AIDS. This was a cross-sectional study of 301 persons living with AIDS. The analysis used descriptive techniques, analysis of variance, and multiple comparisons of means.

Prophylaxis with levofloxacin: impact on bacterial susceptibility and epidemiology in a hematopoietic stem cell transplant unit.

Background: The emergence of resistance has been demonstrated in cancer treatment centers where prophylaxis with fluoroquinolone is used.

Objective: Considering the importance of epidemiological monitoring as a strategy in choosing protocols involving antibiotics, this study aimed to evaluate the emergence of quinolone resistance and changes in the local epidemiology in a hematopoietic stem cell transplant service.

Methods: For this study, 60 positive cultures before the prophylactic use of levofloxacin (period A: 2007-2008) and 118 cultures after starting the use of prophylactic levofloxacin (period B: 2010-2011) were evaluated.

Infusion of Sydenham's chorea antibodies in striatum with up-regulated dopaminergic receptors: a pilot study to investigate the potential of SC antibodies to increase dopaminergic activity.

Background: Sydenham's chorea (SC) is a neurological manifestation of rheumatic fever. Autoimmune mechanism of SC is supported by clinical improvement with immunomodulatory therapy; presence of circulating serum anti-basal ganglia antibodies; increase in Th2 group of cytokines in serum and CSF of patients. However, a role of the antibodies in the pathogenesis can only be established by their passive transfer.

Toll-like receptors (TLR2 and TLR4) recognize polysaccharides of Pseudallescheria boydii cell wall.

Pseudallescheria boydii is an opportunistic fungus widespread in the environment, and has recently emerged as an agent of localized as well as disseminated infections in both immunocompromised and immunocompetent hosts. The host response to fungi is in part dependent on the activation of evolutionary conserved receptors including Toll-like receptors and phagocytic receptors. This review will discuss the isolation and structural characterization of α-glucans and rhamnomannans from P.

Glycoconjugates and polysaccharides from the Scedosporium/Pseudallescheria boydii complex: structural characterisation, involvement in cell differentiation, cell recognition and virulence.

Peptidorhamnomannans (PRMs), rhamnomannans and α-glucans are especially relevant for the architecture of the Scedosporium/Pseudallescheria boydii cell wall, but many of them are immunologically active, with great potential as regulators of pathogenesis and the immune response of the host. In addition, some of them can be specifically recognised by antibodies from the sera of patients, suggesting that they could also be useful in diagnosis of fungal infections. Their primary structures have been determined, based on a combination of techniques including gas chromatography, electrospray ionization - mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), (1)H-COSY and TOCSY, (13)C and (1)H/(13)C NMR spectroscopy.

Sodium butyrate inhibits pathogenic yeast growth and enhances the functions of macrophages.

Objectives: Butyrate is a short-chain fatty acid that is produced by several human commensal bacteria, such as Clostridium and Lactobacillus species. Butyrate is also known to inhibit histone deacetylase. In this study we assessed the antifungal activity of sodium butyrate (SB) against the human pathogenic yeasts Candida albicans, Candida parapsilosis and Cryptococcus neoformans.

cis-Dichloridobis-(5,5'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine)-manganese(II) 2.5-hydrate.

The metal site in the title compound [MnCl(2)(C(12)H(12)N(2))(2)]·2.5H(2)O has a distorted octa-hedral geometry, coordinated by four N atoms of two 5,5'-dimethyl-2,2'-dipyridine ligands and two Cl atoms. Two and a half water molecules of hydration per complex unit are observed in the crystal structure.

Monoclonal antibodies against peptidorhamnomannans of Scedosporium apiospermum enhance the pathogenicity of the fungus.

Scedosporium apiospermum is part of the Pseudallescheria-Scedosporium complex. Peptidorhamnomannans (PRMs) are cell wall glycopeptides present in some fungi, and their structures have been characterized in S. apiospermum, S.

TLR4 recognizes Pseudallescheria boydii conidia and purified rhamnomannans.

Pseudallescheria boydii (Scedosporium apiospermum) is a saprophytic fungus widespread in the environment, and has recently emerged as an agent of localized as well as disseminated infections, particularly mycetoma, in immunocompromised and immunocompetent hosts. We have previously shown that highly purified α-glucan from P. boydii activates macrophages through Toll-like receptor TLR2, however, the mechanism of P.

β-Galactofuranose-containing structures present in the cell wall of the saprophytic fungus Cladosporium (Hormoconis) resinae.

A peptidogalactomannan was isolated from mycelia of Cladosporium (Hormoconis) resinae and characterized using methylation-fragmentation analysis, partial acid hydrolysis and ¹H and ¹³C-NMR spectroscopy. The galactomannan component was a branched structure and consisted of a main chain containing (1→6)-linked α-d-Manp residues substituted at O-2 by side chains containing (1→2)-linked α-D-Manp residues. β-D-Galf residues were present as side chains of 3-4 units that are (1→5)-interlinked.

A histoplasma capsulatum-specific IgG1 isotype monoclonal antibody, H1C, to a 70-kilodalton cell surface protein is not protective in murine histoplasmosis.

Monoclonal antibodies to Histoplasma capsulatum can modify pathogenesis. We now show that monoclonal antibody H1C to a 70-kDa antigen increases intracellular fungal growth and reduces macrophage nitric oxide release but has no effect on fungal burden or survival in murine infection. This further demonstrates the complexities of host-pathogen interactions.