Lack 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.

Background: HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) is a progressive neurological and inflammatory disease, associated with HTLV-1 infection. HAM/TSP neurological disease is a consequence of an inflammatory reaction, and adaptive immune responses, through the secretion of anti-inflammatory and pro-inflammatory cytokines, play an important role in the outcome of infection and disease progression. Studies addressing the association between cytokines functional single nucleotide polymorphisms and HAM/TSP development are scarce.

Hepatitis C virus and human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 co-infection: impact on liver disease, virological markers, and neurological outcomes.

Objectives: Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) infection is associated with neurological abnormalities, such as HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) and peripheral neuropathy (PN). Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is the leading cause of chronic liver disease worldwide, and causes PN in approximately 9% of patients. Because the interplay between these potentially neuropathogenic viruses in the same individual is still poorly understood, the clinical and laboratory outcomes of co-infected patients were evaluated and compared with those of controls.

High IFN-γ/IL-10 expression ratio and increased frequency of persistent human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1-infected clones are associated with human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis development.

Background/aims: Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is a retrovirus that causes a persistent infection, and only 0.5-5% of infected individuals will develop HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). Therefore, we investigated parameters to discriminate HTLV-1 asymptomatic carriers (ACs) with an increased chance to develop HAM/TSP.

Modulation of glutathione intracellular levels alters the spontaneous proliferation of lymphocyte from HTLV-1 infected patients.

The human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is a retrovirus associated with neoplasias and inflammatory diseases, such as adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma and HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). HTLV-1-infected individuals present a spontaneous T lymphocyte proliferation. This phenomenon is related to the HTLV-1-proviral load and the persistence of the infection.

Sickle cell disease: acute clinical manifestations in early childhood and molecular characteristics in a group of children in Rio de Janeiro.

Objectives: To describe clinical events of sickle cell disease and the correlation with β-globin haplotypes and α-thalassemia in under 6-year-old children.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted of under 6-year-old children from the neonatal screening program in Rio de Janeiro. Forty-eight male and 48 female children were enrolled in this study, 79 with sickle cell anemia and 17 with hemoglobin SC.

Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma: a case report of primary cutaneous tumoral type.

Background: Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) is a distinctive peripheral T- lymphocytic malignancy associated with human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1). It may closely resemble other skin lymphomas, particularly mycosis fungoides (MF).

Case Report: A 38-year-old woman presented some ellipsoid scaling patches lasting 18 months and developed a large tumoral lesion in the abdomen, which were previously diagnosed as MF.

Genetic polymorphisms and cerebrovascular disease in children with sickle cell anemia from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The aim of the present work was to examine possible genetic risk factors related to the occurrence of cerebrovascular disease (CVD) in Brazilian population, the frequency of β(S)-globin gene haplotypes and co-inheritance with α-thalassemia (-α(3.7kb)) and single nucleotide polymorphism of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR-C677T), Factor V Leiden (FV-G1691A) and prothrombin (PT-G20210A) genes in children from Rio de Janeiro. Ninety four children with sickle cell anemia (SCA) were included, 24 patients with cerebrovascular involvement and 70 patients without CVD as control group.

Health care-associated infection and hospital readmission in a home care service for children.

The number of children in home health care services is increasing, and there is a need for infection control regulation in this environment. We describe the main causes of infection and hospitalization in children assisted by a pediatric home health care service in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Monocytes from HTLV-1-infected patients are unable to fully mature into dendritic cells.

Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is a causative agent of adult T-cell leukemia and HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis. HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by loss of motor movement in response to spinal marrow cell destruction by T lymphocytes. To perform their cellular function, T cells need to be activated by antigen-presenting cells, such as dendritic cells (DCs).

Human papillomavirus and penile cancers in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: HPV typing and clinical features.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA in penile cancers in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Materials And Methods: We studied, prospectively, 80 consecutive cases of patients with penile cancers who underwent surgical treatment at three different Hospitals in Rio de Janeiro between March 1995 and June 2000. Of these patients, 72 were diagnosed with invasive squamous cell carcinoma and 8 patients with verrucous carcinoma.

Subacute progression of human T-lymphotropic virus type I-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis.

Although human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I)-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) is usually described as a chronic disabling disease, a rapid course over months or even weeks has been reported in some patients. The authors describe the clinical features of HAM/TSP in a Brazilian cohort and evaluate the prevalence of patients with a subacute progression of the disease. This was defined as the requirement of a wheelchair during the first 2 years after the onset of symptoms.

POEMS (polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, M protein, skin lesions) syndrome: a South America's report.

The POEMS syndrome, also known as Crow-Fukase syndrome, is an unusual systemic disorder described mainly in Asian individuals. It is characterized by the presence of (P)polyneuropathy, (O)organomegaly, (E)endocrinopathy, (M) M-protein, and (S) skin changes. Several other associated conditions such as sclerotic bone lesions, Castleman disease, low-grade fever, edema and hematologic disorders are usually seen.

HTLV-I alters the multidrug resistance associated protein 1 (ABCC1/MRP1) expression and activity in human T cells.

The human T cell lymphotropic/leukaemia virus type I (HTLV-I) causes HTLV-I-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). The multidrug resistance associated protein 1 (ABCC1) plays multiple functions in physiopathologic responses. The expression and activity of ABCC1 was studied in T lymphocytes from uninfected and HTLV-I-infected individuals (both asymptomatic and symptomatic/HAM/TSP).

Human T lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) proviral load in asymptomatic carriers, HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis, and other neurological abnormalities associated with HTLV-1 infection.

Recent reports have demonstrated that human T lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is associated with other neurological abnormalities in addition to HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). It has been well established that high HTLV-1 proviral loads are associated with the development of HAM/TSP. We now demonstrate, for the first time, to our knowledge, that HTLV-1 proviral loads in patients with other neurological abnormalities are also significantly higher than in asymptomatic HTLV-1 carriers.

Peripheral neuropathy in HTLV-I infected individuals without tropical spastic paraparesis/HTLV-I-associated myelopathy.

Tropical spastic paraparesis/ HTLV-I-associated myelopathy (TSP/HAM) is the classical neurological manifestation of HTLV-I. Only a few studies have described isolated peripheral neuropathy (PN) among HTLV-I infected individuals. 335 infected individuals without TSP/HAM were evaluated for the presence of PN and 45 of them showed evidences of peripheral nervous system involvement.

Dermatological findings of human T lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-I)-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis.

Dermatological findings for patients with human T lymphotropic virus type 1(HTLV-I)-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) were investigated and were compared with dermatological findings for a control group. Only xerosis, cutaneous candidiasis, and palmar erythema were significantly associated with HAM/TSP. Histopathological patterns of cutaneous lymphoma were seen in 25% of 32 patients who underwent biopsy, and, thus, the cutaneous alterations in HAM/TSP can be classified into nonspecific lesions, infectious lesions, immune-inflammatory-mediated lesions, and premalignant or malignant lesions.

TP53 mutations in breast cancer tumors of patients from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: association with risk factors and tumor characteristics.

Somatic mutations in the TP53 gene are the most frequently observed genetic alterations in human malignancies, including breast cancer, which is one of the leading causes of death among women in Brazil. In our study, we determined the frequency and the pattern of TP53 mutations in malignant breast tumors from 120 patients living in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. TP53 mutations were found in 20% of the tumors, which contained a diversity of mutation types: missense (62.

Neuropathology of human and experimental TSP/HAM: a critical review.

Tropical Spastic Paraparesis/HTLV-1 Associated Myelopathy (TSP/HAM) is clinically characterized by chronic insidious spastic paraparesis associated with variable sensory impairment and sphincter symptoms. Neuropathological studies of this condition are based on a few autopsied cases, and on experimental animal models. However, divergent aspects exist between human and experimental animal neuropathology of TSP/HAM, namely, the site of lesions in the spinal cord, the involvement of peripheral nerves and roots, the nature of histological abnormalities, and the cellular reactions.

Inhibitory effect of extracts of Brazilian marine algae on human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1)-induced syncytium formation in vitro.

Extracts from four species of Brazilian marine algae collected from the Rio de Janeiro State coast were screened to determine the inhibitory effect on HTLV-1-induced syncytium formation. Before performing the syncytium inhibition assay the 50% cytotoxic dose (CyD50) of the algal extracts was evaluated. The antiviral test was carried out in HeLa cells co-cultured with HTLV-I infected T-cell line (C91/PL cells) in the presence of marine algal extracts in the concentration inferior to that corresponding to the CyD50.