Publications by authors named "Maria Gloria Bonecini-Almeida"
Article Synopsis
- About ten million people globally are infected with HTLV-1, with 1-4% developing a severe disease called HAM/TSP, which can lead to spinal cord degeneration and death.
- The study examined HLA alleles in 375 HTLV-1-infected individuals in Brazil to determine their influence on HAM/TSP risk, clinical progression, and death outcomes.
- Key findings revealed that specific HLA alleles, such as HLA-A*68, were linked to increased HAM/TSP risk, while others like HLA-A*33 offered protection; certain alleles also correlated with higher proviral load (PVL) and worse outcomes.
TNF-α is involved in HPV infection control by triggering cell signaling through binding in specific receptors TNFR1 and TNFR2. Genetic polymorphisms in these receptors may influence TNF-α signaling. Herein, we investigated rs767455 and rs2234649 single nucleotide polymorphisms, and TNFR1 protein expression in cervical squamous intraepithelial lesions (SIL) to identify their role in cervical pre-malignant development.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLack of association between single-nucleotide polymorphisms of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and HTLV-1-associated myelopathy / tropical spastic paraparesis development in patients from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
BMC Infect Dis
November 2018
Article Synopsis
- HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) is a progressive neurological disease linked to HTLV-1 infection, with cytokines playing a key role in its inflammatory response and progression.
- A study in Rio de Janeiro evaluated genetic polymorphisms in cytokine genes among HAM/TSP patients and asymptomatic HTLV-1 carriers, finding no significant links between these polymorphisms and disease outcomes.
- Despite some correlations between certain genotypes and higher proviral load in HAM/TSP patients, the research concluded that cytokine polymorphisms do not appear to be associated with the risk of developing HAM/TSP in Brazilian individuals infected with HTLV-1.
Inducible nitric oxide synthase in heart tissue and nitric oxide in serum of Trypanosoma cruzi-infected rhesus monkeys: association with heart injury.
PLoS Negl Trop Dis
August 2012
Background: The factors contributing to chronic Chagas' heart disease remain unknown. High nitric oxide (NO) levels have been shown to be associated with cardiomyopathy severity in patients. Further, NO produced via inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS/NOS2) is proposed to play a role in Trypanosoma cruzi control.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEvaluation of the Determine Rapid Syphilis TP assay using sera.
Clin Diagn Lab Immunol
January 2004
The Abbott Determine Rapid Syphilis TP assay is a treponemal test that can be used in resource-poor settings that lack laboratory facilities. However, this test has not been extensively evaluated. We measured its sensitivity and specificity by using stored serum specimens (n = 567) from all persons who tested Treponema pallidum hemagglutination assay (TPHA) positive (n = 250) or TPHA indeterminate (n = 17) in the year 2001 and the first 300 patients in 2001 who tested TPHA negative at the Evandro Chagas Research Institute in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChronic Chagas' disease in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta): evaluation of parasitemia, serology, electrocardiography, echocardiography, and radiology.
Am J Trop Med Hyg
June 2003
Severe chronic damage to the heart and gastrointestinal tract in patients with Chagas' disease are often observed 10-20 years after the acute phase. The course of long-lasting infection with the Colombian strain of Trypanosoma cruzi was studied in seven rhesus monkeys infected for 15-19 years. Subpatent parasitemia was detected in all studied animals, using hemoculture (two of seven), artificial xenodiagnosis (three of seven), and a polymerase chain reaction PCR (six of six).
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