Histopathological lesions of congenital Zika syndrome in newborn squirrel monkeys.

The absence of an adequate animal model for studies has limited the understanding of congenital Zika syndrome (CZS) in humans during the outbreak in America. In this study, we used squirrel monkeys (Saimiri collinsi), a neotropical primate (which mimics the stages of human pregnancy), as a model of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection. Seven pregnant female squirrel monkeys were experimentally infected at three different gestational stages, and we were able reproduce a broad range of clinical manifestations of ZIKV lesions observed in newborn humans.

Intrahepatic interleukin 10 expression modulates fibrinogenesis during chronic HCV infection.

Introduction: Liver fibrosis is a result of continuous damage to the liver combined with accumulation of the extracellular matrix and is characteristic of most chronic liver diseases such as hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.

Methods: This study evaluated interleukin 10 (IL10) expression in the liver and plasma of 45 HCV patients and its association with the pathogenesis and progression of liver fibrosis. The expression of transforming growth factor beta (TGFB1) was also assessed.

First isolation of West Nile virus in Brazil.

Background: Serological evidence of West Nile virus (WNV) infection has been reported in different regions of Brazil from equine and human hosts but the virus had never been isolated in the country.

Objectives: We sought to identify the viral etiology of equine encephalitis in Espírito Santo state.

Methods: We performed viral culture in C6/36 cells, molecular detection of WNV genome, histopathology and immunohistochemistry from horse cerebral tissue.

In situ inflammasome activation results in severe damage to the central nervous system in fatal Zika virus microcephaly cases.

Zika virus (ZIKV) has caused substantial concern worldwide owing to its association with severe birth defects, such as microcephaly and other congenital malformations. Inflammasomes, i.e.

Correlation between Apoptosis and in Situ Immune Response in Fatal Cases of Microcephaly Caused by Zika Virus.

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a single-stranded positive-sense RNA flavivirus that possesses a genome approximately 10.7 Kb in length. Although pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines and apoptotic markers belonging to the extrinsic and intrinsic pathways are suggested to be involved in fatal cases of ZIKV-induced microcephaly, their exact roles and associations are unclear.

In situ immune response and mechanisms of cell damage in central nervous system of fatal cases microcephaly by Zika virus.

Zika virus (ZIKV) has recently caused a pandemic disease, and many cases of ZIKV infection in pregnant women resulted in abortion, stillbirth, deaths and congenital defects including microcephaly, which now has been proposed as ZIKV congenital syndrome. This study aimed to investigate the in situ immune response profile and mechanisms of neuronal cell damage in fatal Zika microcephaly cases. Brain tissue samples were collected from 15 cases, including 10 microcephalic ZIKV-positive neonates with fatal outcome and five neonatal control flavivirus-negative neonates that died due to other causes, but with preserved central nervous system (CNS) architecture.

Postmortem Findings for 7 Neonates with Congenital Zika Virus Infection.

Postmortem examination of 7 neonates with congenital Zika virus infection in Brazil revealed microcephaly, ventriculomegaly, dystrophic calcifications, and severe cortical neuronal depletion in all and arthrogryposis in 6. Other findings were leptomeningeal and brain parenchymal inflammation and pulmonary hypoplasia and lymphocytic infiltration in liver and lungs. Findings confirmed virus neurotropism and multiple organ infection.

NGF and P75NTR gene expression is associated with the hepatic fibrosis stage due to viral and non-viral causes.

This study evaluated the relative mRNA expression levels of nerve growth factor (NGF) and the p75 neurothrophin receptor (p75NTR) in different histological stages of human liver disease. Fifty-one liver biopsy specimens obtained from patients with hepatitis B virus (n = 6), hepatitis C virus (n = 28), and non-viral hepatitis--(n = 9) and standard histological liver (n = 8) as controls (CT) were subjected to qPCR and histopathological exams. Our data revealed a significant difference in the NGF expression levels between the three patient groups and the Control group.

Absence of correlation between IL-28B gene polymorphisms and the clinical presentation of chronic hepatitis B in an Amazon Brazilian population.

Objective: The present study investigated the prevalence of the IL-28B polymorphisms rs12979860 and rs8099917 in chronic hepatitis B patients from a case study in Eastern Amazonia.

Methods: In total, 65 chronically infected HBV patients and 97 healthy subjects who were anti-HBc and anti-HBs positive (control group) were evaluated between May 2011 and December 2012. The groups of patients were designated as inactive carriers, chronic hepatitis without cirrhosis, and chronic hepatitis with cirrhosis based on clinical, pathological, biochemical, hematological, and virological variables.

Association of killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor polymorphisms with chronic hepatitis C and responses to therapy in Brazil.

Soroprevalence for Hepatitis C virus is reported as 2.12% in Northern Brazil, with about 50% of the patients exhibiting a sustained virological response (SVR). Aiming to associate polymorphisms in Killer Cell Immunoglobulin-like Receptors (KIR) with chronic hepatitis C and therapy responses we investigated 125 chronic patients and 345 controls.

Evaluation of the therapeutic response of hepatitis C in coinfected patients (HIV/HCV): a study of cases from a hospital for chronic liver diseases in the Eastern Brazilian Amazon.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic response of hepatitis C in patients coinfected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1).

Methods: A retrospective study of 20 patients coinfected with HIV-1/HCV who were treated in the outpatient liver clinic at the Sacred House of Mercy Foundation Hospital of Pará (Fundação Santa Casa de Misericórdia do Pará - FSCMPA) from April 2004 to June 2009. Patients were treated with 180 µg PEG interferon-α2a in combination with ribavirin (1,000 to 1,250 mg/day) for 48 weeks.

Association of cytokine gene polymorphisms and serum concentrations with the outcome of chronic hepatitis B.

Objective: The present paper investigated possible correlations between the clinical presentation of hepatitis B and the TNF-α -308G/A, IFN-γ +874A/T, TGF-beta1 -509C/T, and IL-10 -1081A/G polymorphisms and associated serum levels of these cytokines.

Methods: Fifty-three hepatitis patients were selected and divided into two groups: A - inactive (n=30) and B - chronic hepatitis/cirrhosis (n=23). The control group consisted of 100 subjects who were positive for anti-HBc and anti-HBs.

Clinical and pathological importance of vacA allele heterogeneity and cagA status in peptic ulcer disease in patients from North Brazil.

We have examined the prevalence of gene cagA and vacA alleles in 129 patients, 69 with gastritis and 60 with peptic ulcer diseases from North Brazil and their relation with histopathological data. vacA and cagA genotype were determined by polymerase chain reaction. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was used for histological diagnosis.

[The Liver Diseases Program of the Hospital Santa Casa de Misericórdia do Pará--infrastructure and clinical epidemiology in 10 years of attendance].

The Liver Diseases Program of the Hospital Santa Casa de Misericordia do Pará was create because of the need to attend patients with liver diseases of the Amazônia area, taking as priority to attend with quality, diagnosis of aetiologies, clinical following and specific treatment. This study aim to describe dates related to epidemiology, aetiologics agents and histopathologic analysis. One thousand sixty nine patients were evaluated through medical, laboratory, endoscopic, ultrasound or computerized tomography and histopathologic examination.

[Hepatitis B and C virus infection and the hepatocellular carcinoma in the East Amazon, Brazil].

In order to contribute to a better understanding of the possible role of hepatits B and C in the etiopathogenis of HCC in the East Amazon, there were studied 36 patients in Belém/PA. Serological hepatitis markers were evaluated and polymerase chain reaction assays were used to detect HBV-DNA and HCV-RNA. Alcohol abuse was observed in 33.