Dendritic Cell-Based Immunotherapies to Fight HIV: How Far from a Success Story? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

The scientific community still faces the challenge of developing strategies to cure HIV-1. One of these pursued strategies is the development of immunotherapeutic vaccines based on dendritic cells (DCs), pulsed with the virus, that aim to boost HIV-1 specific immune response. We aimed to review DCs-based therapeutic vaccines reports and critically assess evidence to gain insights for the improvement of these strategies.

ABCB1 and ABCC1 variants associated with virological failure of first-line protease inhibitors antiretroviral regimens in Northeast Brazil patients.

The present study aims at evaluating the association between seven single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in five genes involved on antiretroviral pharmacokinetic pathways and virological failure in first line highly active antiretroviral therapy. Seven candidate polymorphisms (rs3842 and rs1045642 in ABCB1, rs212091 and rs3743527 in ABCC1, rs3745274 in CYP2B6, rs628031 in SLC22A1 and rs1517618 in SLCO3A1) were evaluated if they were associated with virological failure through logistic regression analysis. The study design was a retrospective cohort, analyzing 187 patients from Recife metropolitan region (Pernambuco, Brazil): among these 160 obtained complete suppression of HIV-1 replication (responders) and were compared to 27 non-responders, which underwent virological failure.

Mannose binding lectin and mannose binding lectin-associated serine protease-2 genes polymorphisms in human T-lymphotropic virus infection.

Variations in genes involved in the immune response pathways may influence the interaction between viruses (such as Human T-lymphotropic virus, HTLV-1) and the host. The mannose binding lectin (MBL) and its associated serine protease type 2 (MASP-2) promote the activation of the lectin pathway of the complement system. As the interaction of complement system with HTLV-1 is not well understood, the MBL2 promoter/exon 1 polymorphisms and a MASP2 missense polymorphism were examined in a Northeast Brazilian population, looking for a possible relationship between these variations and the susceptibility to HTLV-1 infection.

[Human papillomavirus cervical infection: viral genotyping and risk factors for high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion and cervix cancer].

Purpose: to analyze the characteristics of viral infection and the risk factors for high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion and cervical carcinoma in women with cervical HPV infection.

Methods: a case-control study was conducted on women with cervical HPV at a Gynecology reference service enrolled at the Public Health System, located in Recife, Northeastern Brazil. The groups of cases (72 women with high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion or cervical cancer) and controls (176 women with normal Pap smear or benign alterations) were investigated for six viral genotypes (HPV 16, 18, 31, 33, 6, 11) in ecto- and endocervical material using MY09/MY11 primers.

Frequency of primary resistance to antiretroviral drugs and genetic variability of HIV-1 among infected pregnant women recently diagnosed in Luanda-Angola.

The determination of the prevalence of primary resistance to antiretroviral therapy in different places of the world is of extreme importance in molecular epidemiology monitoring, and it can guide the initial patient therapy in a given geographical area. The frequency of drug resistance mutations (DRM) and the genetic variability of HIV-1 isolates from newly diagnosed HIV-infected pregnant women attending the antenatal clinics of the Lucrecia Paim and Augusto N'Gangula maternities, Luanda-Angola, were determined. Thirty five out of 57 samples (61.

High polymorphism of the MBL2 gene in patients with atopic dermatitis.

Background: Low serum levels of mannose-binding lectin (MBL) are determined mainly by variant alleles of the MBL2 gene and it has been suggested that MBL may play a role in the susceptibility to atopic dermatitis (AD).

Objective: The aim was to investigate the difference of the frequency of MBL2 variant alleles in AD patients and in a group of individuals without AD, and associate the MBL2 alleles with AD severity.

Methods: MBL2 variant allele's frequency was investigated in 131 children with AD and 165 healthy children/adolescents matched by convenience.

Sensitivity and specificity of BCG scar reading among HIV-infected children.

BCG scar has been used as an indicator of vaccination with BCG in the past, but the validity of scar among HIV-positive children is still unknown. The validity of BCG scar reading among such children was estimated, using three different gold standards. The sensitivity ranged from 81.

Population-based multicentric survey of hepatitis B infection and risk factor differences among three regions in Brazil.

This multicentric population-based study in Brazil is the first national effort to estimate the prevalence of hepatitis B (HBV) and risk factors in the capital cities of the Northeast, Central-West, and Federal Districts (2004-2005). Random multistage cluster sampling was used to select persons 13-69 years of age. Markers for HBV were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Multilevel analysis of hepatitis A infection in children and adolescents: a household survey in the Northeast and Central-west regions of Brazil.

Background: The objectives were to estimate the prevalence of hepatitis A among children and adolescents from the Northeast and Midwest regions and the Federal District of Brazil and to identify individual-, household- and area-levels factors associated with hepatitis A infection.

Methods: This population-based survey was conducted in 2004-2005 and covered individuals aged between 5 and 19 years. A stratified multistage cluster sampling technique with probability proportional to size was used to select 1937 individuals aged between 5 and 19 years living in the Federal capital and in the State capitals of 12 states in the study regions.