Syphilis reactivity among blood donors in Brazil: associated factors and implications for public health monitoring.

Background: Increasing syphilis infection rates are a concerning issue worldwide. Blood donation screening is an opportunity to monitor the burden of asymptomatic infections, providing information on contemporary factors associated with infection and public health insights into transmission.

Methods: Blood donations collected at five Brazilian blood centers between January 2020 and February 2022 were screened with treponemal or non-treponemal assays according to local protocols, followed by alternate Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA); samples with reactive or indeterminate results in the alternate ELISA were further tested with the rapid plasma reagin (RPR), and categorized as RPR-positive or RPR-negative.

Health literacy assessment of individuals with and without Chagas disease: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Chagas disease (CD) is neglected that affects vulnerable individuals, whose majority has low ability to understand health information.

Objectives: To assess health literacy and its association with sociodemographic, clinical, and quality of life (QoL) characteristics.

Design And Setting: A cross-sectional study the participants with Chagas disease (ChD) were identified through serological diagnosis during blood donation, while those without the disease were seronegative blood donors.

Impact of Exogenous on the Gut Microbiome of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Patients Colonized by Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria: An Observational Study.

can inhibit the growth of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) and modulate the gut microbiome. However, data on hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) are scarce. In an observational study, we assessed the impact of on the modulation of the gut microbiome in HSCT patients colonized by MDROs.

Molecular Testing of Environmental Samples as a Potential Source to Estimate Parasite Infection.

We discuss the potential usefulness of molecular testing of soil, dust, and water samples to detect medically important parasites, and where such testing could be used to supplement stool sampling in humans. A wide variety of parasites including protozoa and helminths, many of which are zoonotic, have an important infection reservoir in the environment. In some cases, this environmental period is essential for further parasite development.

Colonisation by multidrug-resistant organisms in health workers in primary care: narrow spectrum oral antimicrobials are a risk factor.

Background: Limited information exists on carriage of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) by health workers (HWs) in primary care settings. This study aims to determine the prevalence of MDRO carriage among HWs in primary care and to identify associated risk factors.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted across all 12 primary care units in São Caetano do Sul-SP, Brazil, from October to December 2023.

Genetic variants associated with white blood cell count amongst individuals with sickle cell disease.

Background: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a Mendelian disorder characterized by a point mutation in the β-globin gene that leads to sickling of erythrocytes. Several studies have shown that absolute neutrophil count is strongly associated with clinical severity of SCD, suggesting an apparent role of white blood cells (WBC) in SCD pathology. However, the mechanism by which genetic variants lead to WBC count differences in SCD patients remains unclear.

Immunologic mediators profile in COVID-19 convalescence.

SARS-CoV-2 caused the pandemic situation experienced since the beginning of 2020, and many countries faced the rapid spread and severe form of the disease. Mechanisms of interaction between the virus and the host were observed during acute phase, but few data are available when related to immunity dynamics in convalescents. We conducted a longitudinal study, with 51 healthy donors and 62 COVID-19 convalescent patients, which these had a 2-month follow-up after symptoms recovery.

Prevalence analysis of Chagas disease by age group in an endemic region of Brazil: possible scenario of active vectorial transmission.

Objectives: Chagas disease (CD) is an infectious disease that predominantly affects poor and vulnerable populations. The last estimate conducted by the World Health Organization in Latin America regarding the prevalence of CD occurred more than 10 years ago. However, there is a scarcity of data assessing the magnitude of CD in populations residing in considered high-risk regions.

Identification of Chagas disease biomarkers using untargeted metabolomics.

Untargeted metabolomic analysis is a powerful tool used for the discovery of novel biomarkers. Chagas disease (CD), caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, is a neglected tropical disease that affects 6-7 million people with approximately 30% developing cardiac manifestations. The most significant clinical challenge lies in its long latency period after acute infection, and the lack of surrogate markers to predict disease progression or cure.

Simultaneous detection of arboviruses by a multiplex RT-qPCR assay in Tocantins, a northern state of Brazil.

In Brazil, Dengue, Zika and Chikungunya viruses constitute a major threat to the public health system. Simultaneous circulation of these arboviruses occurs in many regions of the world due to the expansion of transmission vectors. The infection by these arboviruses triggers similar symptoms during their acute phase.

Association between positive serology for COVID-19 and chagas cardiomyopathy progression: The SaMi-Trop project.

Background: Chagas Disease (CD) can cause Chagas cardiomyopathy. The new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) also affects the cardiovascular system and may worsen Chagas cardiomyopathy. However, the cardiac evolution of patients with CD infected by COVID-19 is not known.

Cardiac involvement in Chagas disease and African trypanosomiasis.

Trypanosomiases are diseases caused by various species of protozoan parasite in the genus Trypanosoma, each presenting with distinct clinical manifestations and prognoses. Infections can affect multiple organs, with Trypanosoma cruzi predominantly affecting the heart and digestive system, leading to American trypanosomiasis or Chagas disease, and Trypanosoma brucei primarily causing a disease of the central nervous system known as human African trypanosomiasis or sleeping sickness. In this Review, we discuss the effects of these infections on the heart, with particular emphasis on Chagas disease, which continues to be a leading cause of cardiomyopathy in Latin America.

Genetic diversity in the partial sequence of the HIV-1 gag gene among people living with multidrug-resistant HIV-1 infection.

The group-specific antigen (gag) plays a crucial role in the assembly, release, and maturation of HIV. This study aimed to analyze the partial sequence of the HIV gag gene to classify HIV subtypes, identify recombination sites, and detect protease inhibitor (PI) resistance-associated mutations (RAMs). The cohort included 100 people living with HIV (PLH) who had experienced antiretroviral treatment failure with reverse transcriptase/protease inhibitors.

Perineal impalement extending through multiple cavities by iron rod following fall from elevated plane: Case report.

Introduction: Perineal impalements, although rare, exhibit high morbidity and mortality, associated with penetrating traumas by long objects, often resulting from falls or assaults. The risk of pelvic bleeding and the need for immediate intervention to preserve vital organs are characteristics of these injuries, whose severity demands a multidisciplinary approach.

Case Description: A 57-year-old male patient, a victim of a 5-meter fall, suffered an extensive perineal impalement.

Human movement and environmental barriers shape the emergence of dengue.

Understanding how emerging infectious diseases spread within and between countries is essential to contain future pandemics. Spread to new areas requires connectivity between one or more sources and a suitable local environment, but how these two factors interact at different stages of disease emergence remains largely unknown. Further, no analytical framework exists to examine their roles.

Nutraceutical blends predict enhanced health via microbiota reshaping improving cytokines and life quality: a Brazilian double-blind randomized trial.

Nutraceutical interventions supporting microbiota and eliciting clinical improvements in metabolic diseases have grown significantly. Chronic stress, gut dysbiosis, and metainflammation have emerged as key factors intertwined with sleep disorders, consequently exacerbating the decline in quality of life. This study aimed to assess the effects of two nutraceutical formulations containing prebiotics (fructooligosaccharides (FOS), galactooligosaccharides (GOS), yeast β-glucans), minerals (Mg, Se, Zn), and the herbal medicine Silybum marianum L.

SARS-CoV-2 shedding, infectivity, and evolution in an immunocompromised adult patient.

This study aimed to provide further insight into the evolutionary dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 by analyzing the case of a 40-year-old man who had previously undergone autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation due to a diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. He developed a persistent SARS-CoV-2 infection lasting at least 218 days and did not manifest a humoral immune response to the virus during this follow-up period. Whole-genome sequencing and viral cultures confirmed a persistent infection with a replication-positive virus that had undergone genetic variation for at least 196 days after symptom onset.

Analysis of chlorhexidine, antibiotics and bacterial community composition in water environments from Brazil, Cameroon and Madagascar during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The widespread of chlorhexidine and antibiotics in the water bodies, which grew during the global COVID-19 pandemic, can increase the dispersion of antibiotic resistance. We assessed the occurrence of these pharmaceutical compounds as well as SARS-CoV-2 and analysed the bacterial community structure of hospital and urban wastewaters from Brazil, Cameroon, and Madagascar. Water and wastewater samples (n = 59) were collected between January-June 2022.

Ocular manifestations of Monkeypox virus (MPXV) infection with viral persistence in ocular samples: A case series.

Objective: We describe the clinical presentation and ocular viral dynamics in patients with Monkeypox virus-related ophthalmic disease (MPXROD).

Methods: In this case series, we investigated five consecutive patients with confirmed mpox, diagnosed through a positive Monkeypox virus (MPXV) Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test and presenting with ocular symptoms. They were referred from the Reference Center for Sexually Transmitted Infections in São Paulo (CRT) to the Uveitis Sector at the Federal University of São Paulo, between August and December 2022.