Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are pathologies that have viruses, bacteria, protozoa and fungi as infectious agents, affecting millions of people worldwide and causing physical and psychological consequences for the carrier. Some of these infections such as HIV, HPV and
Chlamydia trachomatis
may present an asymptomatic phase, making the diagnosis difficult, which is often only performed when the couple looks for infertility treatment after not achieving spontaneous pregnancy. Infertility affects 15% of couples, 50% of cases are male-related, and it is estimated that STDs, which interfere with the physiology of the male reproductive system and may impair semen in parameters such as motility, concentration, morphology and number, cause 15% of male infertility cases. Since STDs treatments are increasing the expectation and quality of life of infected patients, discussing issues such as sexuality and reproduction is of great importance in clarifying unknown facts. This paper aims to discuss how the infectious processes associated with HIV, HPV and
Chlamydia trachomatis
can interfere with semen quality causing male infertility without apparent cause.
The mitochondria are intracellular organelles, and just like the cell nucleus they have their own genome. They are extremely important for normal body functioning and are responsible for ATP production -the main energy source for the cell. Mitochondrial diseases are associated with mutations in mitochondrial DNA and are inherited exclusively from the mother. They can affect organs that depend on energy metabolism, such as skeletal muscles, the cardiac system, the central nervous system, the endocrine system, the retina and liver, causing various incurable diseases. Mitochondrial replacement techniques provide women with mitochondrial defects a chance to have normal biological children. The goal of such treatment is to reconstruct functional oocytes and zygotes, in order to avoid the inheritance of mutated genes; for this the nuclear genome is withdrawn from an oocyte or zygotes, which carries mitochondrial mutations, and is implanted in a normal anucleated cell donor. Currently, the options of a couple to prevent the transmission of mitochondrial diseases are limited, and mitochondrial donation techniques provide women with mitochondrial defects a chance to have normal children. The nuclear genome can be transferred from oocytes or zygotes using techniques such as pronuclear transfer, spindle transfer, polar body transfer and germinal vesicle transfer. This study presents a review of developed mitochondrial substitution techniques, and its ability to prevent hereditary diseases.
Tuberculosis continues to be a major public health problem worldwide. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the accuracy of the Xpert MTB/RIF rapid molecular test for tuberculosis, using pulmonary samples obtained from patients treated at the Júlia Kubitschek Hospital, which is operated by the Hospital Foundation of the State of Minas Gerais, in the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. This was a retrospective study comparing the Xpert MTB/RIF test results with those of standard culture for Mycobacterium tuberculosis and phenotypic susceptibility tests. Although the Xpert MTB/RIF test showed high accuracy for the detection of M. tuberculosis and its resistance to rifampin, attention must be given to the clinical status of the patient, in relation to the test results, as well as to the limitations of molecular tests.
Introdução: O câncer de cavidade oral é considerado um problema de saúde pública no mundo. A desnutrição é prevalente nessa população, aumentando a morbimortalidade. A suplementação com ácido eicosapentaenoico tem sido proposta para reverter o catabolismo proteico e modular processos inflamatórios. Objetivo: Avaliar o efeito do suplemento nutricional enriquecido com ácido eicosapentaenoico no peso corporal e massa magra de pacientes com câncer de cavidade oral. Método: Ensaio clínico realizado com pacientes em pré-tratamento oncológico. Os pacientes foram randomizados para receber suplemento nutricional com ácido eicosapentaenoico (2 g/dia) ou placebo. Os parâmetros nutricionais (peso, estatura, composição corporal e ingestão alimentar) foram avaliados no início (T0) e após quatro semanas de suplementação (T1). O teste-t pareado ou de Wilcoxon foram usados nas comparações intragrupos. As associações entre as variáveis categóricas foram verificadas por meio do teste do χ² ou Exato de Fisher. A regressão logística foi aplicada para identificar a chance de perder peso. As diferenças foram consideradas significativas quando p<0,05. Resultados: Não foi observada diferença significativa nos parâmetros nutricionais entre os grupos após a intervenção. No entanto, considerando cada grupo no início e no final do estudo, observou-se que os pacientes do grupo controle apresentaram perda de peso significativa (T0: 57,2 kg x T1: 56,4 kg), redução no índice de massa corporal (T0: 22,6 kg/m2 x T1: 22,0 kg/m2), massa gorda (T0: 17,3 kg x T1: 15,3 kg) e circunferência do braço (T0: 27,4 cm x T1: 26,8 cm). Aqueles que receberam suplemento com ácido eicosapentaenoico tiveram 80% menos chance de perder peso (95% IC: 0,045-0,860; OR: 0,19). Conclusão: Este estudo produziu dados que sugerem que pacientes com câncer de cavidade oral podem se beneficiar com o uso de suplemento nutricional contendo ácido eicosapentaenoico no pré-tratamento oncológico. Número de Registro: U1111-1177-3678.
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