Evaluation of enterovirus concentration, species identification, and cerebrospinal fluid parameters in patients of different ages with aseptic meningitis in São Paulo, Brazil.

Human enteroviruses (EV) are the most common cause of aseptic meningitis worldwide. Data on EV viral load in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and related epidemiological studies are scarce in Brazil. This study investigated the influence of EV viral load on CSF parameters, as well as identifying the involved species.

Encephalopathy Caused by Human Parvovirus B19 Genotype 1 Associated with Meningitis in a Newborn.

Parvovirus B19 infection is associated with a wide range of clinical manifestations, from asymptomatic to severe neurological disorders. Its major clinical symptoms, fever and rash, are common to multiple viruses, and laboratory tests to detect B19 are frequently not available. Thus, the impact of B19 on public health remains unclear.

Characterization of Torquetenovirus in amniotic fluid at the time of fetal surgery: correlation with early premature delivery and respiratory distress.

Torquetenovirus (TTV) is a commensal virus present in many healthy individuals. Although considered to be non-pathogenic, its presence and titer have been shown to be indicative of altered immune status in individuals with chronic infections or following allogeneic transplantations. We evaluated if TTV was present in amniotic fluid (AF) at the time of surgery to correct a fetal neurological defect, and whether its detection was predictive of adverse post-surgical parameters.

The Torque Teno Virus Titer in Saliva Reflects the Level of Circulating CD4 T Lymphocytes and HIV in Individuals Undergoing Antiretroviral Maintenance Therapy.

Introduction: Torque teno virus (TTV) is a non-pathogenic virus present in body fluids. Its titer in the circulation increases in association with immune suppression, such as in HIV-infected individuals. We evaluated if the TTV titer in saliva from HIV-positive individuals undergoing antiretroviral therapy (ART) was related to the circulating CD4+ T lymphocyte concentration and the HIV titer.

SARS-CoV-2 aerosol generation during respiratory equipment reprocessing.

Aerosolization may occur during reprocessing of medical devices. With the current coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, it is important to understand the necessity of using respirators in the cleaning area of the sterile processing department. To evaluate the presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) in the air of the sterile processing department during the reprocessing of contaminated medical devices.

Decontamination and re-use of surgical masks and respirators during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objectives: The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic increased global demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) and resulted in shortages. The study evaluated the re-use of surgical masks and respirators by analysing their performance and safety before and after reprocessing using the following methods: oven, thermal drying, autoclave, and hydrogen peroxide plasma vapour.

Methods: In total, 45 surgical masks and 69 respirators were decontaminated.

First case of SARS-COV-2 sequencing in cerebrospinal fluid of a patient with suspected demyelinating disease.

The association between coronaviruses and central nervous system (CNS) demyelinating lesions has been previously shown. However, no case has been described of an association between the novel coronavirus (SARS-COV-2) and CNS demyelinating disease so far. SARS-COV-2 was previously detected in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sample of a patient with encephalitis.

DETECTION OF HUMAN ANTI-ZIKA VIRUS IgG BY ELISA USING AN ANTIGEN FROM in vitro INFECTED VERO CELLS: PRELIMINARY RESULTS.

Zika virus (ZKV) infection is a huge public health problem in Brazil because of the increased incidence of microcephaly in neonates from infected mothers. Detection of specific IgG antibodies in maternal serum samples constitutes an important approach for diagnosing ZKV infection and evaluating its relationship with neonatal microcephaly. However, as there is no serological test produced in Brazil to detect IgM and IgG antibodies against ZKV, we sought to examine specific IgG in serum samples from patients or suspected mothers to detect previous infection and to test for specificity with regard to flaviviral infections occurring in the same area.

Higher incidence of death in multi-vessel coronary artery disease patients associated with polymorphisms in chromosome 9p21.

Background: We investigated whether 9p21 polymorphisms are associated with cardiovascular events in a group of 611 patients enrolled in the Medical, Angioplasty or Surgery Study II (MASS II), a randomized trial comparing treatments for patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and preserved left ventricular function.

Methods: The participants of the MASS II were genotyped for 9p21 polymorphisms (rs10757274, rs2383206, rs10757278 and rs1333049). Survival curves were calculated with the Kaplan-Meier method and compared with the log-rank statistic.

Ethnicity and arterial stiffness in Brazil.

Background: The impact of increased central arterial stiffness as a predictor of morbidity and mortality, independently of other cardiovascular (CV) risk factors, has been established. The main aim of the present work was to investigate the association of ethnicity on arterial stiffness in different ethnic groups from the Brazilian population.

Methods: A total of 1,427 individuals from the general population were randomly selected from the Vitoria City metropolitan area and 588 Amerindians from a native community in Brazil.