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A deficiência de vitamina A constitui um problema de saúde pública no Nordeste brasileiro. O objetivo deste estudo foi determinar a prevalência da deficiência de vitamina A e os fatores associados em pré-escolares de Teresina, Piauí, Brasil. Os níveis de retinol sérico foram determinados por HPLC, e foram investigadas as características sócio-econômicas e demográficas de 631 crianças com idade de 36 a 83 meses. Investigou-se a associação entre os níveis de retinol e as variáveis de interesse por análise de regressão linear uni e multivariada. O nível médio de retinol foi de 1,21mmol/L (IC95%: 1,17-1,25µmol/L), independente do sexo (p = 0,259). A hipovitaminose A (retinol < 0,69µmol/L) foi observada em 15,4% das crianças (IC95%: 12,7-18,4), com tendência à diminuição com o avanço da idade; 29% das crianças (IC95%: 25,2-32,4) tinham valores aceitáveis de retinol, mas não adequados (0,70 a 1,04µmol/L). Encontrou-se associação positiva entre níveis de retinol e idade, renda per capita, suplementação prévia com vitamina A e escolaridade materna. A prevalência de hipovitaminose A representa um problema moderado de saúde pública, ressaltando a importância das estratégias de combate a essa carência na região.

The Research Capacity ProgramAs in many areas of Brazil, the AIDS epidemic in Curitiba is relatively stable, but surveillance is important to support public policy. The molecular characteristics of HIV may be instrumental for monitoring epidemic trends. We evaluated plasma HIV-1 RNA (n = 37) from 38 cases presenting with positive serology, who were among 820 consenting volunteers visiting the downtown counselling and serology testing centre. Seroprevalence was 4.6% 3) and the estimated HIV incidence, as defined by the BED assay, was 2.86 persons/years ). An additional set of contemporaneous, anonymous samples from a local laboratory was also analysed (n = 20) . Regions of the HIV-1 polymerase (n = 57) and envelope (n = 34) were evaluated for subtyping, determination of mosaic structure, primary drug resistance mutations (pDRM), envelope V3 loop motifs and amino acid signatures related to viral tropism. HIV-1 clade B was observed in 53% of cases; HIV-1C in 30% and BC mosaics in 14%, with one F genome and one CF mosaic. Clade C infection was associated with recent infections among males (p < 0.03). Stanford surveillance pDRM was observed in 8.8% of sequences, with 7% showing high level resistance to at least one antiretroviral drug. Tropism for CXCR4 co-receptor was predicted in 18% of envelope sequences, which were exclusively among clade B genomes and cases with serological reactivity to chronic infection.Key words: epidemiology -antiretroviral resistance -genetic diversity -HIV-1 -tropism -BrazilUnderstanding the local HIV-1 epidemic will not only support the regional response, but it may also provide information to nationwide efforts in the fight against AIDS. The variability of HIV-1 has been an obstacle to treatment and to the development of prevention innovations such as vaccines. HIV-1 clusters phylogenetically into distinct clades (subtypes), a fact that has helped to unravel the molecular characteristics of the epidemic. In some regions, differential distribution of HIV-1 clades has been documented (Van Harmelen et al. 1997, Tovanabutra 2001, Rios et al. 2005, Ryan et al. 2007) and phylogeny may indicate the source(s) of incoming variants (Sarker 2008). Worldwide, clade C is responsible for about half of the epidemic, whereas clade B is the major variant in industrialised nations (Hemelaar et al. 2006). HIV variability may influence the performance of laboratory tools for diagnostic, monitoring and surveillance (Koch et al. 2001 (Baeten et al. 2007, Kaleebu 2007 and transmission potential (Yang et al. 2003, John-Stewart et al. 2005 have been associated to distinct HIV clades, but the actual impact of genetic diversity in HIV disease still remains uncertain (Stebbing & Moyle 2003, Hemelaar et al. 2006, Tebit et al. 2007). However, some characteristics of HIV, such as tropism to either CCR5 or CXCR4 coreceptors, seem to be associated with a distinct pattern of disease progression (Shepherd et al. 2008). Another relevant issue is the identification of primary drug resistance mutations (pDRM) among untreate...

We conducted a time-location sampling sero-behavioral surveillance survey of men who have sex with men (MSM) in São Paulo, Brazil, the largest city in Latin America and the Southern Hemisphere (N = 1,217 interviewed with serological results for 771). HIV prevalence was 15.4 % (95 % CI 11.6-20.1), with only 45.8 % previously aware of their infection. HIV prevalence achieved 6.4 % among youth 18-24 years and was higher among MSM with lower socio-economic status. In multivariate analysis, correlates of HIV were older age, gay identity, lower socio-economic status, social networks with HIV-positive MSM, receptive anal sex, and internet sex partners. Policy change towards increasing avenues for HIV testing coupled with antiretroviral treatment regardless of CD4 count or stage of disease stand to benefit the MSM community if scaled up fast enough.

vitamin A had an effect on the recruitment of T and B lymphocytes to the circulation of children with hypovitaminosis A and anemia.