Detection and molecular characterization of Babesia caballi and Theileria equi isolates from endemic areas of Brazil.

Blood samples were collected from 487 adult horses, including 83 pregnant mares, at a slaughterhouse located in Araguari, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. For each blood sample, the packed cell volume (PCV) was determined, and Giemsa-stained smears were microscopically examined for the presence of hemoparasites. The plasma was examined by the indirect fluorescent antibody test for detection of antibodies against Babesia caballi and Theileria equi.

[Impediments in access to medical care: experiences of people with acute myocardial infarction].

Objective: To analyze the course followed by men and women who suffered an acute myocardial infarction until they received medical care. Knowledge of this course may be useful for making decisions that will lead to early and efficient care in the first minutes following the onset of symptoms, thereby reducing morbidity and mortality.

Methods: Forty-three women and 54 men who suffered a painful infarction were interviewed.

Microarray analysis of gene expression induced by sexual contact in Schistosoma mansoni.

Background: The parasitic trematode Schistosoma mansoni is one of the major causative agents of Schistosomiasis, a disease that affects approximately 200 million people, mostly in developing countries. Since much of the pathology is associated with eggs laid by the female worm, understanding the mechanisms involved in oogenesis and sexual maturation is an important step towards the discovery of new targets for effective drug therapy. It is known that the adult female worm only develops fully in the presence of a male worm and that the rates of oviposition and maturation of eggs are significantly increased by mating.

[Simplified intraoperative adjustable suture technique for horizontal strabismus surgery: a study of 153 cases].

Purpose: To evaluate the simplified intraoperative adjustable suture technique for horizontal strabismus surgery.

Methods: Data charts of all patients who underwent horizontal strabismus surgery by the simplified intraoperative adjustable suture technique at the Strabismus Department of the "Hospital das Clínicas" of the University of São Paulo in the period from January 2001 to November 2005 were evaluated retrospectively. Using this technique, the adjustment was calculated based on the corneal light reflection, having considered the difference between the measures in the awake state and with the anesthetized patient.

Acute pulmonary embolism is an independent predictor of adverse events in severe decompensated heart failure patients.

Background: Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a well-recognized risk factor for venous thromboembolism (VTE) and is associated with higher mortality in patients with an acute pulmonary embolism (PE). There are very few data on how acute PE affects the clinical course of patients with heart failure. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of an acute PE on the short-term prognosis of patients hospitalized for decompensated CHF.

Biomphalaria spp. (Preston,1910) snails in the municipality of Juiz de Fora, Zona da Mata Mineira mesoregion, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil.

This study focuses on the geographic distribution of the snail of the genus Biomphalaria and evaluates its infectivity by Schistosoma mansoni in 5264 specimens collected in the municipality of Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Of the 31 locations studied, 6 were reservoirs, 11 rudimentary holding ponds, 7 irrigation ditches, 5 lakes, 1 ornamental pond, and 1 waterfall. Intermediate hosts were found only in the rudimentary ponds and ditches, which were 100% positive.

Epidemiological aspects of canine babesiosis in the semiarid area of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Epidemiological aspects of Babesia vogeli infection were studied in the canine population of a rural town located in the Brazilian "Drought Polygon" of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The survey was carried out in March 2003, when 505 dogs were identified and their characteristics registered on appropriate forms. Blood samples were collected at this time and again in June, September and December 2003.

Sero-prevalence and risk indicators for canine ehrlichiosis in three rural areas of Brazil.

Ehrlichia canis has a worldwide geographic distribution, occurring particularly in tropical and subtropical areas. In Brazil, the main vector in urban areas is believed to be the brown dog tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus, but little is known about the occurrence, transmission and other epidemiological aspects of canine ehrlichiosis in rural areas, where Amblyomma ticks are found more frequently than R. sanguineus.

Comparison of the effect of anemia on in-hospital mortality in patients with versus without preserved left ventricular ejection fraction.

Patients with symptomatic heart failure (HF) frequently have preserved left ventricular (LV) ejection fractions (LVEFs). Although anemia is a common finding in this patient population, its prognostic role has not been well studied. This study's aim was to assess if the LVEF interferes in the association between anemia and in-hospital mortality in patients with severe HF.

Natural co-infection of Babesia caballi and Encephalitozoon-like microsporidia in the tick Anocentor nitens (Acari: Ixodidae).

The present paper reports the occurrence of natural co-infection of Babesia caballi and Encephalitozoon-like microsporidia in the tick Anocentor nitens. Engorged females of ticks, collected from a naturally B. caballi-infected horse, were incubated at 27 degrees C and relative humidity over 83%.

[Predictors of in-hospital lethality in patients with advanced heart failure].

Objective: Describe the clinical characteristics and identify potential risk factors for in-hospital lethality in patients with decompensated heart failure admitted to an intensive care unit.

Methods: Decompensated heart failure patients consecutively admitted to an intensive care unit between June 2001 and December 2003 were selected and followed during hospitalization until discharge or death. Clinical characteristics at admission were recorded and evaluated as independent risk predictors for in-hospital mortality by multiple logistic regression analysis.

Persistent diplopia and strabismus after cataract surgery under local anesthesia.

Background And Purpose: Diplopia is an infrequent complication described for retrobulbar local anesthesia. The objective of this study is to report the clinical characteristics and treatments for this surgical complication.

Methods: Retrospective study of medical records.

Use of refrigeration as a practical means to preserve viability of in vitro-cultured IDE8 tick cells.

In vitro cultivation of the IDE8 cell line, derived from embryonic Ixodes scapularis ticks, constitutes an important system for the study of tick-borne pathogens, as these cells support growth of rickettsial species which are not normally transmitted by this tick. However, since cryopreservation of IDE8 cells is not always successful, there is a need to develop alternative ways to preserve these cells. In the present study, a suspension of IDE8 cells in culture medium was kept under refrigeration at 4 degrees C for up to 60 days.

[Heart failure mortality trend in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil].

Objective: To assess mortality trend due to heart failure (HF) in Salvador--Bahia, from 1979 to 1995.

Methods: HF was defined by notations from the 9th Review of International Disease Code (IDC9) 428.0, 428.

Incidence and clinical predictors of pulmonary embolism in severe heart failure patients admitted to a coronary care unit.

Objectives: To determine the incidence of clinical pulmonary embolism (PE) in a population with severe congestive heart failure (CHF) admitted to a coronary care unit (CCU), and to identify clinical predictors of PE in this population.

Design And Setting: Prospective, observational study performed in a CCU of a tertiary care hospital between July 2001 and March 2003.

Patients: One hundred ninety-eight patients with severe decompensated CHF.

The role of integrated home-based care in patient adherence to antiretroviral therapy.

Non-adherence is one of the primary obstacles to successful antiretroviral therapy in HIV+ patients worldwide. In Brazil, the Domiciliary Therapeutic Assistance is a multidisciplinary and integrated home-based assistance program provided for HIV+ patients confined in their homes due to physical deficiency. This study investigated ADT's ability to monitor and promote appropriate adherence to ARV therapy.

Lack of infectivity of a Brazilian Anaplasma marginale isolate for Boophilus microplus ticks.

Previous studies have shown that one Brazilian Anaplasma marginale isolate presents an inclusion appendage (tail), while other isolates do not present such inclusion. Studies on tick transmission have been carried out with tailless isolates but little is known about transmission of tailed isolates by Boophilus microplus. Two splenectomized calves were experimentally inoculated with the tailed A.

Single step polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the diagnosis of the Leishmania (Viannia) subgenus.

In Brazil, the main etiologic agent of Leishmaniasis that frequently presents with mucosal involvement belongs to the Viannia subgenus. The therapeutic conduct in this disease depends on the parasitological diagnosis, and classical methods are restricted in identifying the agent. In this paper we describe a polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which uses primers designed from mini-exons repetitive sequences.

Distribution and Schistosoma mansoni infection of Biomphalaria glabrata in different habitats in a rural area in the Jequitinhonha Valley, Minas Gerais, Brazil: environmental and epidemiological aspects.

This paper examines the distribution and infection of Biomphalaria glabrata with Schistosoma mansoni in all aquatic snail habitats in a rural area in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, in relation to physico/biotic and behavioral factors. Snail and environmental surveys were carried out semi-annually between July 2001 and November 2002 at 106 sites. Collected snails were examined in the laboratory for infection.

First molecular detection of Babesia vogeli in dogs from Brazil.

The present work describes the detection and first molecular characterization of Babesia vogeli in dogs, naturally infected in Brazil and even in South America. Microscopic examination of Giemsa-stained peripheral blood smears collected from dogs originating from four different locations in Brazil revealed the presence of large Babesia merozoites and trophozoites (>2.5 microm).

Retrospective study (1998-2001) on canine babesiosis in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

The present work describes a retrospective study of clinical cases of babesiosis in dogs examined at the Veterinary Hospital (Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais) from March 1998 to September 2001. From the clinical records of dogs with laboratory-confirmed Babesia canis infections, we analyzed: demography (age, breed, sex, time of year, and origin; clinical manifestations (concomitant infections, body temperature, presence of ticks, and clinical signs); and hematological alterations. From 194 records from animals with suspicious cases of hemoparasites, 145 were confirmed to be infected and among those 61 dogs (42%) were infected with B.

Molecular characterization of Brevibacillus laterosporus and its potential use in biological control.

Thirty-three strains of Brevibacillus laterosporus, including three novel strains isolated from Brazilian soil samples, were examined for genetic variability by the use of different PCR-based methods. Molecular markers that could characterize bacterial strains with regards to their pathogenic potential were investigated. In addition, toxicity was assessed by the use of insects belonging to the orders Lepidoptera and Coleoptera and the mollusk Biomphalaria glabrata.

Decrease of plasma triglycerides during the acute phase of unstable angina or non-ST elevation myocardial infarction is a marker of recurrent ischemia.

Both increase and decrease of plasma triglycerides during acute coronary syndromes (ACS) are reported, however, a clinical relevance for these distinct metabolic responses is unclear. To test the association between distinct responses of lipid metabolism and cardiovascular risk, 39 subjects admitted with non-ST elevation ACS within 48 h of presentation had plasma lipids measured on the first and sixth days of hospitalization, and continuous electrocardiogram was performed during the first 2 days to quantify recurrent ischemia and heart rate variability. No lipid-lowering therapy was offered to the patients.

Detection of Lymnaea columella infection by Fasciola hepatica through Multiplex-PCR.

From complete mitochondrial DNA sequence of Fasciola hepatica available in Genbank, specific primers were designed for a conserved and repetitive region of this trematode. A pair of primers was used for diagnosis of infected Lymnaea columella by F. hepatica during the pre-patent period simultaneously with another pair of primers which amplified the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of rDNA from L.