Hepatitis E virus infection among rural Afro-descendant communities from the eastern Brazilian Amazon.

Introduction: The prevalence, public health impact, and epidemiological characteristics of hepatitis E virus (HEV) are poorly understood in Brazil.

Methods: Serum samples from 535 individuals from three rural Afro-descendant communities located in eastern Brazilian Amazon were collected in October 2015 and tested for presence of anti-HEV IgM and IgG antibodies. Serologically positive samples were also tested for HEV-RNA.

Occurrence of respiratory symptoms in persons with restrictive ventilatory impairment compared with persons with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: The PLATINO study.

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) usually complain of symptoms such as cough, sputum, wheezing, and dyspnea. Little is known about clinical symptoms in individuals with restrictive ventilatory impairment. The aim of this study was to compare the prevalence and type of respiratory symptoms in patients with COPD to those reported by individuals with restrictive ventilatory impairment in the Proyecto Latinoamericano de Investigacion en Obstruccion Pulmonar study.

Behavior of Quality of Life (SGRQ) in COPD Patients According to BODE Scores.

Introduction: To evaluate if the association between the BODE index and deterioration in health-related quality of life is linear. To determine possible associations between the BODE index and health status evaluated by the Saint George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) at all levels of disease severity in COPD.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out on 253 patients from two Latin American respiratory centers (Brazil and Chile) with a clinical diagnosis of COPD, based on GOLD criteria.

Association of oxidative stress markers and C-reactive protein with multidimensional indexes in COPD.

To evaluate the oxidative stress and the C-reactive protein (CRP) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients and their correlation between the severity of the disease according to GOLD criteria and multidimensional indexes such as BODE index. A blood sample was collected for thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, glutathione (GSH), homocysteine (HCY) and CRP analysis from 45 stable COPD patients. Lung function, body nutritional status, dyspnea and 6-min walk test (6MWT) were evaluated.