The Second Highest Prevalence of Celiac Disease Worldwide: Genetic and Metabolic Insights in Southern Brazilian Mennonites.

Celiac disease (CD), despite its high morbidity, is an often-underdiagnosed autoimmune enteropathy. Using a modified version of the Brazilian questionnaire of the 2013 National Health Survey, we interviewed 604 Mennonites of Frisian/Flemish origin that have been isolated for 25 generations. A subgroup of 576 participants were screened for IgA autoantibodies in serum, and 391 participants were screened for HLA-DQ2.

The impact of social isolation by COVID-19 on the epidemiological and clinical profiles of the burn patients. A retrospective study.

Background: Social isolation, imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, may imply changes in the clinical-demographic and epidemiological profiles of burn trauma victims.

Objective: Evaluate the changes in the epidemiological profile of patients with burns that resulted in hospitalization during the social isolation period due to the COVID-19 pandemic, comparing with the same period in the previous year.

Methods: The medical records of burn patients who were hospitalized in our Burn Center during the local confinement period (March 18th to August 31st, 2020) and during the same period in 2019 were analyzed.

Quality of life of patients with Parkinson's disease: a comparison between preoperative and postoperative states among those who were treated with deep brain stimulation.

Background: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a well-established procedure for treating Parkinson's disease (PD). Although its mechanisms of action are still unclear, improvements in motor symptoms and reductions in medication side effects can be achieved for a significant proportion of patients, with consequent enhancement of quality of life.

Objective: To investigate the impact of DBS on the quality of life of PD patients.

Seropositivity for syphilis among Brazilian blood donors. A retrospective study 2015-2020.

Introduction: Syphilis is a transfusion-transmitted infection and the disease re-emerged in many countries, including Brazil, as a public health risk.

Objective: Evaluate the prevalence of positive serology in blood donations rejected by Hemobanco (Curitiba- PR) from January 2015 to December 2020, with special focus in syphilis.

Methodology: In the studied period, we analyzed the number of blood donations discarded annually for each serological test performed on blood donors' samples, according to gender and donors age.

First Report of CR1 Polymorphisms and Soluble CR1 Levels Associated with Late Onset Alzheimer's Disease (LOAD) in Latin America.

The CR1 gene has been widely studied in Alzheimer's disease (AD), since its first association with the disease in 2009. Even after 11 years of this discovery, the role of this gene in AD has not yet been fully elucidated and the association of its variants was not validated in Latin American populations. We genotyped five CR1 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs rs6656401, rs3849266, rs2274567, rs4844610, and rs12034383) in up to 162 AD patients and 137 controls through PCR-SSP and iPLEX MassARRAY Platform (Sequenom), and measured soluble CR1 (sCR1) levels in plasma of 40 AD patients and 39 controls with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Fibromyalgia, sleep disturbance and menopause: Is there a relationship? A literature review.

Introduction: Fibromyalgia (FM) symptoms worsen in a significant portion of patients with the onset of menopause. Some patients report that their symptoms begin after menopause, suggesting a relationship between these entities. Sleep disturbance is a common condition in FM and menopause, and it is associated with chronic pain.

Complement receptor 1 (CR1, CD35) association with susceptibility to leprosy.

Background: Pathophysiological mechanisms are still incompletely understood for leprosy, an urgent public health issue in Brazil. Complement receptor 1 (CR1) binds complement fragments C3b/C4b deposited on mycobacteria, mediating its entrance in macrophages. We investigated CR1 polymorphisms, gene expression and soluble CR1 levels in a case-control study with Brazilian leprosy patients, aiming to understand the role of this receptor in differential susceptibility to the disease.

Complement activation in acute myocardial infarction: An early marker of inflammation and tissue injury?

Background: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a potentially fatal condition, being a major cause of death worldwide. Ischemia suffered during AMI causes tissue damage, leading to an inflammatory process. Moreover, myocardial injury can generate damage-associated molecular patterns that activate pattern recognition molecules including some complement proteins.

Judicial demand of medications through the Federal Justice of the State of Paraná.

Objective: To describe the profile of lawsuits related to drug requests filled at the Federal Justice of the State of Paraná.

Methods: A cross-sectional study, and the data were obtained through consulting the lawsuits at the online system of the Federal Justice of Paraná.

Results: Out of 347 lawsuits included in the study, 55% of plaintiffs were women, with a median age of 56 years.

Alert for bone alterations and low serum concentrations of vitamin D in patients with intestinal inflammatory disease.

Background: Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), including Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), are characterized by chronic inflammation of the intestine that can reduce the absorption of nutrients such as vitamin D and calcium.

Objective: To investigate bone alterations and serum levels of vitamin D in patients with IBD.

Method: This was a cross-sectional study based on a review of medical records of patients from a private office in Curitiba, PR, Brazil.

Epidemiological analysis of occupational dermatitis notified in Brazil in the period 2007 to 2012.

Background:: Occupational dermatitis affects the quality of life and productivity of workers. Studies on the subject are scarce in Brazil. It is estimated that the disease is underreported and that many affected patients do not seek health care.

Infections and systemic lupus erythematosus.

Objective: To determine the incidence of infections in a population of systemic lupus erythematosus individuals and the characteristics of infections regarding original site, as well as to study the possible associations between infections and treatment.

Methods: An analytical retrospective study using data from medical charts of systemic lupus erythematosus patients from a single university hospital. A total of 144 patients followed up for five years were included.

FECAL CALPROTECTIN: levels for the ethiological diagnosis in Brazilian patients with gastrointestinal symptoms.

Background: Determination of fecal calprotectin can provide an important guidance for the physician, also in primary care, in the differential diagnosis of gastrointestinal disorders, meanly between inflammatory bowel diseases and irritable bowel syndrome. Objectives The aims of the present study were to prospectively investigate, in Brazilian adults with gastrointestinal complaints, the value of fecal calprotectin as a biomarker for the differential diagnosis between functional and organic disorders and to correlate the concentrations with the activity of inflammatory bowel diseases.

Methods: The study included consecutive patients who had gastrointestinal complaints in which the measurement levels of fecal calprotectin were recommended.

Anti-CCP Antibodies and Rheumatological Findings in Brazilian Patients with Crohn's Disease.

Background/aims: Arthropathy is the most common extraintestinal manifestation observed in patients with Crohn's disease (CD). The present study aimed to screen rheumatoid arthritis (RA) using anti-CCP antibodies and rheumatoid factor (RF) in CD patients from Southern Brazil. Additionally, the presence of arthralgia and spondyloarthritis (SpA) was evaluated.

Association of MASP2 polymorphisms and protein levels with rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease.

MASP-2 is a key protein of the lectin pathway of complement system. Several MASP2 polymorphisms were associated with MASP-2 serum levels or functional activity. Here we investigated a possible association between MASP2 polymorphisms and MASP-2 serum levels with the susceptibility to rheumatic fever (RF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD).

Association between congenital heart defects and severe infections in children with Down syndrome.

Introduction: There is a high prevalence of congenital heart disease (CHD) in Down syndrome (DS) patients. Children with DS and CHD also present greater susceptibility to pulmonary infections than those without CHD.

Aim: To investigate the prevalence and types of CHD and their association with severe infections in children with DS in southern Brazil seen in a reference outpatient clinic.

Mannan-binding lectin and ficolin deposition in skin lesions of pemphigus.

Pemphigus is characterized by circulating autoantibodies directed against desmossomal antigens that, once bound to target antigens, induce disruption in the cell-cell adhesion of the epidermis and mucosal epithelium, leading to blister formation. Evidence has indicated a role for complement in the physiopathology of pemphigus, with complement deposition in intercellular spaces of skin and mucous membrane lesions. Mannan-binding lectin (MBL) and Ficolin-2 are recognition proteins of innate immunity, which by binding to specific molecular patterns on pathogens surfaces trigger the activation of complement, leading to phagocytosis and lyses of target cells and inflammation.

Antibodies anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae (ASCA) do not differentiate Crohn's disease from celiac disease.

Context: Anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies (ASCA), considered serologic markers for Crohn's disease, were described in patients with celiac disease, disappearing after a gluten-free diet.

Objectives: Evaluation of ASCA positivity in patients with Crohn's disease and celiac disease in relation to healthy individuals.

Methods: A total of 145 individuals were studied: 36 with Crohn's disease and 52 with celiac disease, that fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for both affections, and 57 healthy individuals for control.

Serological and clinical follow-up of relatives of celiac disease patients from southern Brazil.

Background/aims: In this study, a clinical and serological follow-up of 8-10 years was performed in relatives of celiac disease (CD) patients from southern Brazil. The occurrence of new CD cases in the families and the use of two different IgA-tTG enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits were also evaluated.

Methods: Serum samples of 233 relatives, 186 recruited between 1997 and 2000 (phase I) and 138 between 2006 and 2007 (phase II: 91 of the follow-up group and 47 newly tested), were analyzed.