Leprosy diagnosis is mainly based on clinical evaluation, although this approach is difficult, especially for untrained physicians. We conducted a temporary campaign to detect previously unknown ...leprosy cases in midwestern Brazil and to compare the performance of different serological tests.
A mobile clinic was stationed at the main bus terminal in Brasília, Brazil. Volunteers were quizzed and given a clinical exam to allow categorization as either patients, known contacts of patients or non-contacts, and blood was collected to determine anti-PGL-I and anti-LID-1 antibody titers by ELISA and by the NDO-LID rapid test. New cases of leprosy and the impact of performing this broad random surveillance strategy were evaluated. Accuracy values and concordance between the test results were evaluated among all groups.
Four hundred thirty-four individuals were evaluated, and 44 (10.1%) were diagnosed with leprosy. Borderline forms were the most frequent presentation. Both tests presented higher positivity in those individuals with multibacillary disease. Serological tests demonstrated specificities arround 70% for anti-PGL-1 and anti-LID ELISA; and arround 40% for NDO-LID. Sensitivities ranged from 48 to 62%. A substantial agreement between NDO-LID and ELISA with concomitant positive results was found within leprosy patients (Kappa index = 0.79 CI95% 0.36-1.22).
The unexpectedly high leprosy prevalence in this population indicates ongoing community-based exposure to Mycobacterium leprae antigens and high rates of subclinical infection. All tests showed low specificity and sensitivity values and therefore cannot be considered for use as stand-alone diagnostics. Rather, considering their positivity among MB patients and non-patients, these tests can be considered effective tools for screening and identifying individuals at high risk who might benefit from regular monitoring.
In the therapeutic arsenal to treat moderate to severe psoriasis, the new agents are secukinumab and ustekinumab, which are fully human monoclonal antibodies, directed against IL-17A and IL-12/23, ...respectively, which have been shown to be effective and safe in several studies. Their side effects are rare, and the most frequently reported side effects were infection, especially nasopharyngitis, headache, pruritus, high blood pressure, and low back pain. Unlike the side effects, the paradoxical reaction can be defined by the appearance or exacerbation of a pathological condition that usually responds to a certain class of drug. The appearance of this reaction in patients using anti-interleukins is poorly described; however, as they are new drugs, they may be more common than the literature reports. We describe a case of a paradoxical reaction, with the appearance of atopic dermatitis, after using secukinumab to treat psoriasis.
A previous study demonstrates that most of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) Brazilian strains fell in three local clades that were introduced from Europe around late ...February 2020. Here we investigated in more detail the origin of the major and most widely disseminated SARS-CoV-2 Brazilian lineage B.1.1.33. We recovered 190 whole viral genomes collected from 13 Brazilian states from February 29 to April 31, 2020 and combined them with other B.1.1 genomes collected globally. Our genomic survey confirms that lineage B.1.1.33 is responsible for a variable fraction of the community viral transmissions in Brazilian states, ranging from 2% of all SARS-CoV-2 genomes from Pernambuco to 80% of those from Rio de Janeiro. We detected a moderate prevalence (5-18%) of lineage B.1.1.33 in some South American countries and a very low prevalence (<1%) in North America, Europe, and Oceania. Our study reveals that lineage B.1.1.33 evolved from an ancestral clade, here designated B.1.1.33-like, that carries one of the two B.1.1.33 synapomorphic mutations. The B.1.1.33-like lineage may have been introduced from Europe or arose in Brazil in early February 2020 and a few weeks later gave origin to the lineage B.1.1.33. These SARS-CoV-2 lineages probably circulated during February 2020 and reached all Brazilian regions and multiple countries around the world by mid-March, before the implementation of air travel restrictions in Brazil. Our phylodynamic analysis also indicates that public health interventions were partially effective to control the expansion of lineage B.1.1.33 in Rio de Janeiro because its median effective reproductive number (
) was drastically reduced by about 66% during March 2020, but failed to bring it to below one. Continuous genomic surveillance of lineage B.1.1.33 might provide valuable information about epidemic dynamics and the effectiveness of public health interventions in some Brazilian states.
Lupus miliaris disseminatus faciei or acne agminata is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the skin, considered an intriguing entity due to its pathogenesis, which is still largely speculative. It has ...been linked to tuberculosis, sarcoidosis, rosacea, and other granulomatous diseases, but it is considered an independent entity.
Adsorption using clay is increasingly being applied in the secondary treatment of effluents contaminated with organic compounds discharged from oil industries. This study was aimed at applying a ...combined Langmuir–Freundlich model to describe the multi-component adsorption of organic compounds such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes and phenol using smectite clay. The results of the study well fitted with the model developed. In addition, the model parameters suggest that maximum adsorption capacities (qm) can be achieved between 2.45 (toluene) and 22.40 mg g−1 (phenol). The equilibrium points for the compounds were achieved in approximately 20–30 minutes.
Reply to Castillo-Solorzano et al Rosa, Fabiano Marques; de Melo, Flávia Cardoso; Simczak, Dirce Regina ...
The Journal of infectious diseases,
07/2012, Letnik:
206, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Treatment of recurrent aphthous stomatitis with clofazimine de Abreu, Marilda Aparecida Milanez Morgado, MD, MS; Hirata, Cleonice Hitomi Watashi, MD, PhD; Pimentel, Dalva Regina Neto, MD, MS ...
Oral surgery, oral medicine, oral pathology, oral radiology and endodontics,
11/2009, Letnik:
108, Številka:
5
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Objective The aim was to investigate the safety and efficacy of clofazimine for the treatment of recurrent aphthous stomatitis. Study design In this randomized controlled partially blind study, 23 ...patients received clofazimine 100 mg daily for 30 days and then 100 mg every other day. Twenty-three patients received colchicine 0.5 mg 3 times daily. Twenty patients received 1 placebo pill 2 times daily. All subjects received medications for 6 months. The chi-squared or Fisher exact tests were used to assess drug efficacy with respect to objective findings and symptoms. Results A greater percentage of individuals in the clofazimine group had no further aphthous episodes (17%-44% compared with ≤6% in the other groups). A significantly greater percentage of treatment interruption occurred in the colchicine group because of gastrointestinal effects (23%-45%). Individuals in the clofazimine group who continued to suffer from aphthous stomatitis presented with better results for the evaluated variables. Conclusion Clofazimine should be considered for the treatment of recurrent aphthous stomatitis.
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