Association of the humoral immune response with the inflammatory profile in Plasmodium vivax infections in pregnant women.

Background: Plasmodium vivax infection, when it occurs during pregnancy, has often been associated with serious adverse pregnancy outcomes. However, immunological alterations in pregnancy and their consequences have been little explored. We characterized the humoral immune response in pregnant women exposed to malaria by P.

Are and Gene Mutations Associated with Chloroquine-Resistant Parasites?

(1) Background: Malaria remains a significant global public health issue. Since parasites quickly became resistant to most of the available antimalarial drugs, treatment effectiveness must be constantly monitored. In Brazil, up to 10% of cases of vivax malaria resistant to chloroquine (CQ) have been registered.

Adolescent pregnancy in Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre, Brazil: socioeconomic characteristics, prenatal and obstetric care.

The present study aimed to investigate the socioeconomic and obstetric characteristics of adolescent mothers and the complications they cause to maternal and neonatal health. This baseline data analysis of the MINA-Brazil birth cohort was conducted in the municipality of Cruzeiro do Sul, state of Acre, Brazil. The chi-square test was used to compare characteristics of adolescent and adult postpartum women, and multiple Poisson regression models with robust variance were used to assess associated factors.

Chloroquine- Resistant Haplotypes in Brazilian Endemic Areas Four Decades after CQ Withdrawn.

(1) Background: Malaria is a public health problem worldwide. Despite global efforts to control it, antimalarial drug resistance remains a great challenge. In 2009, our team identified, for the first time in Brazil, chloroquine (CQ)-susceptible parasites in isolates from the Brazilian Amazon.

and CA-MRSA Carriage among Brazilian Indians Living in Peri-Urban Areas and Remote Communities.

The emergence of Community-associated methicillin-resistant (CA-MRSA) infections among indigenous populations has been reported. Usually, indigenous communities live in extreme poverty and are at risk of acquiring infections. In Brazil, healthcare inequality is observed in this population.

Frequency of pleural effusion in dengue patients by severity, age and imaging modality: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Identification of pleural effusion (PE) in dengue infection is an objective measure of plasma leakage and may predict disease progression. However, no studies have systematically assessed the frequency of PE in patients with dengue, and whether this differs across age and imaging modality.

Methods: We searched Pubmed, Embase Web of Science and Lilacs (period 1900-2021) for studies reporting on PE in dengue patients (hospitalized and outpatient).

B-Cell Epitope Mapping of the Malaria Vaccine Candidate GMZ2.6c in a Naturally Exposed Population of the Brazilian Amazon.

The GMZ2.6c malaria vaccine candidate is a multi-stage chimeric protein that contains a fragment of the sexual-stage s48/45-6C protein genetically fused to GMZ2, an asexual-stage vaccine construction consisting of the N-terminal region of the glutamate-rich protein (GLURP) and the C-terminal region of the merozoite surface protein-3 (MSP-3). Previous studies showed that GMZ2.

Left ventricular function by strain in uncomplicated malaria: a prospective study from the Brazilian Amazon.

We hypothesized that adults with uncomplicated malaria have lower left ventricular contractile function compared to the general population and that this improves after antimalarial treatment. We examined uncomplicated malaria and the general population from the Western part of the Brazilian Amazon Basin. All persons underwent an echocardiographic examination and peripheral blood smears.

Potential role of transthoracic echocardiography for screening LV systolic dysfunction in patients with a history of dengue infection. A cross-sectional and cohort study and review of the literature.

Background: Dengue virus can affect the cardiovascular system and men may be at higher risk of severe complications than women. We hypothesized that clinical dengue virus (DENV) infection could induce myocardial alterations of the left ventricle (LV) and that these changes could be detected by transthoracic echocardiography.

Methodology/principal Findings: We examined individuals from Acre in the Amazon Basin of Brazil in 2020 as part of the Malaria Heart Study.

Is self-rated health associated with cardiovascular risk factors and disease in a low-income setting? A cross-sectional study from the Amazon Basin of Brazil.

Objective: Prior studies have suggested that self-rated health may be a useful indicator of cardiovascular disease. Consequently, we aimed to assess the relationship between self-rated health, cardiovascular risk factors and subclinical cardiac disease in the Amazon Basin.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Prevalence and Dynamic Changes in Lung Ultrasound Findings among Adults with Uncomplicated Malaria and Controls in the Amazon Basin, Brazil.

Malaria patients are at risk of cardiopulmonary complications but diagnosis and management can be difficult in resource-limited settings. B-lines on lung ultrasound (LUS) mark changes in lung density; however, little is known about their role in malaria. We aimed to examine the prevalence of B-lines in adults with malaria at baseline and follow-up compared with controls in the Amazon Basin.

Silent circulation of Chikungunya virus among pregnant women and newborns in the Western Brazilian Amazon before the first outbreak of chikungunya fever.

The prevalence of immunity to Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) in pregnant women and newborns in the Western Brazilian Amazon was assessed at a time when previous studies did not report chikungunya fever in the area. In 435 asymptomatic pregnant women and 642 healthy unrelated newborns, the presence of IgM and IgG antibodies to CHIKV were determined by a commercial ELISA. All participants were negative to IgM anti-CHIKV.

Prevalence of rheumatic heart disease in adults from the Brazilian Amazon Basin.

Background: Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) continues to be a burden in low- and middle-income countries and prevalence estimates are lacking from South America. We aimed to determine the prevalence of RHD in the Brazilian Amazon Basin.

Methods: We examined a random sample of adults (≥18 years) from the general population, who underwent echocardiographic image acquisition by a medical doctor.

Frequency of Electrocardiographic Alterations and Pericardial Effusion in Patients With Uncomplicated Malaria.

Studies have proposed that malaria may lead to electrocardiographic (ECG) changes and pericardial inflammation. We aimed to investigate the frequency of ECG alterations, determined by ECG and Holter monitoring, and pericardial effusion in patients with malaria infection. We performed a prospective observational study of adult patients with uncomplicated malaria in Amazonas, Brazil.

Reference values for left ventricular dimensions, systolic and diastolic function: a study from the Amazon Basin of Brazil.

Country- and ethnicity-specific reference values for echocardiographic parameters are necessary for decision making. No prior studies have examined reference values in adults from the Amazon Basin of Brazil. We performed echocardiographic examinations in 290 healthy adults (mean age 37 ± 14 years, 40% male) from the Brazilian Amazon.

Tropical diseases and risk of hypertension in the Amazon Basin: a cross-sectional study.

Although infectious diseases have been associated with cardiovascular conditions, little is known about tropical disease burden and hypertension. We hypothesized that a history of tropical infections was associated with hypertension. We examined participants from outpatient clinics in the Amazon Basin who were interviewed about prior exposure to tropical diseases, including dengue, malaria hospitalization, and leishmaniasis.

Levels of hepatitis B antibody titers are affected by age and doses gap time in children from a high endemic area of the western Amazon.

Background: Despite completion of the vaccine schedule for hepatitis B virus (HBV), children may display levels of HBV surface antibodies (anti-HBs) that are considered inadequate for sufficient protection (<10 IU/L).

Aims: Our aim was to investigate if age and gap time between HBV vaccine doses may negatively affect the levels of anti-HBs in children, and if these relationships are modified by sex.

Methods: In a high-endemic HBV region of the western Brazilian Amazon we enrolled children who had completed the HBV vaccine schedule.

Efficacy of the 20-minute whole blood clotting test (WBCT20) in the diagnosis of coagulation alteration related to snakebites in a Western Brazilian Amazon hospital.

The efficacy of 20-minute whole blood clotting (WBCT20) and the Lee-White clotting time (LWCT) tests in diagnosing coagulation alterations from snakebites were compared. Methods: We evaluated 89 snakebite cases treated at the Hospital Regional do Juruá em Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre, Brazil. Results: WBCT20 results were normal in 33.

Plasmodium vivax metacaspase 1 (PvMCA1) catalytic domain is conserved in field isolates from Brazilian Amazon.

In the present study, we investigated the genetic diversity of Plasmodium vivax metacaspase 1 (PvMCA1) catalytic domain in two municipalities of the main malaria hotspot in Brazil, i.e., the Juruá Valley, and observed complete sequence identity among all P.

Adverse pregnancy outcomes are associated with Plasmodium vivax malaria in a prospective cohort of women from the Brazilian Amazon.

Background: Malaria in Brazil represents one of the highest percentages of Latin America cases, where approximately 84% of infections are attributed to Plasmodium (P.) vivax. Despite the high incidence, many aspects of gestational malaria resulting from P.

Prenatal care and preterm birth in the Western Brazilian Amazon: A population-based study.

Brazil is among the top ten countries in preterm delivery worldwide. This study assesses the factors associated with preterm birth in the Western Brazilian Amazon. A population-based cross-sectional study was held between July 2015 to June 2016 in Cruzeiro do Sul, Brazilian Amazon.

Relationship between snake size and clinical, epidemiological and laboratory aspects of Bothrops atrox snakebites in the Western Brazilian Amazon.

In the Brazilian Amazon, snakebites are a significant problem, especially for populations in rural areas, particularly in forests, where victims are a considerable distance from hospital care. Several factors are associated with the severity of the accident, such as the size and age of the snake. This study aims to compare the clinical, epidemiological and laboratory aspects of envenomation to the size of Bothrops atrox snakes.

Recombinant Plasmodium vivax circumsporozoite surface protein allelic variants: antibody recognition by individuals from three communities in the Brazilian Amazon.

Circumsporozoite protein (CSP) variants of P. vivax, besides having variations in the protein repetitive portion, can differ from each other in aspects such as geographical distribution, intensity of transmission, vectorial competence and immune response. Such aspects must be considered to P.

Association between NDO-LID and PGL-1 for leprosy and class I and II human leukocyte antigen alleles in an indigenous community in Southwest Amazon.

The frequencies of the Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles in the Puyanawa indigenous reserve population and their association with the NDO-LID and ELISA PGL-1 rapid serological test was assessed. This was a cross-sectional study with an epidemiological clinical design conducted in two indigenous communities in the state of Acre, Brazil. Blood was collected in a tube with EDTA to identify HLA alleles and perform serological tests.