Bleeding due to the habit of removing the cuticles of the finger and toes nails, without appropriate sterilization of instruments can be an important factor of contamination by hepatitis B and C viruses. The objectives of this study were to verify the use of standards on biosafety in the routine work of manicurists and/or pedicurists located in São Paulo, Brazil; know the level of information they have about ways of transmission and prevention of hepatitis B and C; evaluate the degree of risk perception for accidental exposure to infectious agents; and to estimate the prevalence of serological markers of hepatitis B and C among them. This was descriptive, cross-sectional study that included a random sample of 100 manicurists and/or pedicurists working in beauty salons. We administered a questionnaire to obtain personal information about the characteristics of the participants, collected blood for hepatitis B and C serology and assessed the working environment. Adherence to the professional standards on biosafety has been inadequate, and we noted that only 5% used disposable gloves, none washed their hands, 93% did not previously cleaned their working material and only 7% used disposable materials. A low level of knowledge about the routes of transmission, prevention, standards of biosafety, and risk perception of the infectious agents in their professional activity was observed. One out of ten interviewed manicurist and/or pedicurist had serological markers of hepatitis B or C, with 8% of hepatitis B and 2% of hepatitis C.

-Leprosy is one of the most common diseases of the peripheral nerves. In some cases there is only neural involvement without skin changes (neuritic form). The neuropathy has often a distal stocking and glove distribution with thermal and pinprick anesthesia and preservation of proprioception. There is no weakness, the tendon reflexes may be preserved and sometimes the nerves are thickened. We reported 17 patients with a predominantly small-fiber polyneuropathy due to leprosy. All patients had distal temperature and pain anesthesia with different individual variations. The tendon reflexes were normal in seven patients and in eight there was thickening of the nerves. The nerve conduction was normal in three patients. Sural nerve biopsy consisted of: 1) inflammatory infiltrates, 2) vacuolated "foamy" cells, 3) fibrosis of endoneurium, perineurium, and epineurium, 4) partial or total loss of nerve fibers, 5) large number of bacilli. We concluded that in countries where leprosy is frequent, nerve biopsy is an obligatory procedure in patients with predominantly small-fiber polyneuropathy.KEY WORDS: leprosy, pure neuritic leprosy, small-fiber polyneuropathy, peripheral neuropathy, nerve biopsy. Polineuropatia de fibras-finas devido a lepra sem alterações cutâneas: estudo de 17 casosRESUMO -Em vários países tropicais a lepra constitui uma das principais causas de acometimento dos nervos periféricos. Em alguns casos somente os nervos são comprometidos, sem acometimento cutâneo (forma neurítica pura). Na polineuropatia há anestesia térmica e dolorosa com preservação da propriocepção. A força é normal, os reflexos profundos podem estar preservados e os nervos nem sempre estão espessados. Relatamos 17 pacientes com este tipo de polineuropatia. Todos tinham variados níveis de anestesia térmica e dolorosa distal nos membros. Os reflexos profundos estavam normais em sete pacientes e em oito havia leve espessamento dos nervos. A neurocondução foi normal em três pacientes. A biópsia do nervo sural revelou: 1) extenso infiltrado inflamatório, 2) células vacuoladas, 3) fibrose do endoneuro, perineuro e epineuro, 4) perda total ou parcial de fibras nervosas, 5) presença de bacilos da lepra. Concluímos que somente a biópsia de nervo permite o diagnóstico de pacientes com polineuropatia com acometimento predominante de pequenas fibras devida a lepra. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: lepra, lepra neurítica pura, polineuropatia de fibras finas, neuropatia periférica, biópsia de nervo.

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A 52-year-old Brazilian woman presented with numbness and paresthesias in both feet for 6 months. Clinical history revealed nonspecific discomfort in her right foot and recurrent red spots on abdomen and back for 4 years. Examination disclosed cutaneous lesions (figure 1) and EMG showed a chronic, mainly sensory axonal polyneuropathy. Biopsy was diagnostic of leprosy neuropathy (figure 2). After starting multidrug therapy, cutaneous lesions improved and the neuropathy remained stable.Leprosy, the most treatable form of peripheral neuropathy, must be considered in the differential diagnosis of neuropathies with cutaneous lesions, especially if sensory fibers are the most involved.

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Giant condyloma acuminatum, a rare variant of anogenital condyloma, shows rapid growth associated with immunodeficiency. Wound care after resection and outcomes were reported. NGS, black, 55 years, HIV positive, with giant condyloma acuminatum affecting from the groin to the intergluteal groove, which was resected, remaining the wound opened for later skin graft. Topical care included polihexametilene biguanide/betaine solution, essencial fatty acids solution, hydrofiber/silver, and poliuretane film. The wound developed secondary infection, so hidrofiber was replaced by polyurethane foam/silver/ibuprofen. There was improvement in infection and pain, contraction of the edges and the presence of granulation tissue across the lesion. In those conditions the skin graft was performed after 41 days. Despite possible confusion bias, it can be inferred that the care adopted prepared the wound bed to receive the skin graft. Keywords: Buschke-Lowenstein tumor; wound healing; wound infection; pain; fatty acids, essencial; anti-infective agents, local; betain; silver; ibuprofen. RESUMOO condiloma acuminado gigante, variante rara do condiloma acuminado anogenital, apresenta crescimento rápido associado a estados de imunodeficiência. Relatamos os resultados com os cuidados com a ferida operatória. Trata-se de homem de etnia negra, 55 anos, portador do vírus da imunodeficiência humana com condiloma acuminado acometendo desde as regiões inguinais até o sulco interglúteo, que foi ressecado permanecendo a ferida aberta para posterior enxertia. Os cuidados com essa ferida incluíram solução de polihexametileno biguanida/betaína, solução de ácidos graxos essenciais, hidrofibra/ prata e película. Evoluiu com infecção secundária sendo a hidrofibra substituída por espuma de poliuretano/prata/ibuprofeno. Houve melhora da infecção e da dor, contração das bordas e presença de tecido de granulação em toda a lesão. Naquelas condições, o enxerto de pele foi realizado no 41º dia. A despeito dos possíveis vieses de confusão, pode-se inferir que esses cuidados prepararam o leito da ferida para receber o enxerto de pele.

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