Although individual characteristics are the main contributor to the risk of tuberculosis, contextual characteristics make a substantial independent contribution.

These results indicate that HLA-G 3'UTR polymorphic sites, particularly +3142G and +3010C alleles, were associated with SLE susceptibility, whereas UTR-1 was associated with protection against development of SLE.

INTRODUCTION: Mortality from tuberculosis, which should be a rare event, still affects a large portion of the population of developing countries. In this context, Recife, a city in the northeast of Brazil where this study was developed, has the highest tuberculosis mortality rates of the Brazilian capitals. OBJECTIVE: To analyze survival probability and identify risk factors for death from tuberculosis in a cohort of patients living in Recife who started treatment for tuberculosis. METHODOLOGY: A cohort of newly diagnosed TB cases was followed up from the beginning of treatment (in 2001-2003) until June 2007. Survival probability was estimated by Kaplan-Meier method; and Cox Regression analysis was used to identify risk factors. RESULTS: At the end of the follow-up period, the survival probability after beginning TB treatment was 95.9%. Older ages, positivity for HIV and late initial treatment were statistically associated with death from TB in one year follow-up. When the analysis was done considering the total period of follow-up, older ages, positivity serology for HIV, late initial treatment, weight loss, and history of previous treatment remained in the multivariate Cox regression model. CONCLUSION: A more comprehensive analysis, specifically for deaths from tuberculosis as the underlying and non-underlying cause, allowed identification of a greater number of predictive factors that would otherwise not be detected if follow-up had lasted only until the end of treatment. These results can guide feasible interventions for health services aiming to reduce case-fatality from tuberculosis.

Introduction: Studies disagree as to whether there is a greater prevalence of hypertension among HIV/AIDS patients and the role of antiretroviral therapy. Objective: Evaluate the prevalence of hypertension and risk factors in a cohort of HIV-infected patients, with emphasis on antiretroviral therapy. Method: Case-control study conducted at baseline of a cohort, between June/2007 and December/2008 in Pernambuco/Brazil. Blood pressure was classifi ed as normal, prehypertension, and hypertension. Results: Of 958 patients, 245 (25.6%) had hypertension (cases), 325 (33.9%) had prehypertension, and 388 (40.5%) were normotensive (controls). Comparison between hypertensive and normotensive patients showed that traditional factors, such as age > 40 (OR = 3.06, CI = 1.91-4.97), male gender (OR = 1.85, CI = 1.15-3.01), BMI > 25 (OR = 5.51, CI = 3.36-9.17), and triglycerides > 150 mg/dL (OR = 1.69, CI = 1.05-2.71), were independently associated with hypertension. Duration of antiretroviral therapy and CD4 > 200 cells/mm 3 were associated with hypertension in univariate analysis, but did not remain in fi nal model. Type of antiretroviral schema and lipodystrophy showed no association with hypertension. Conclusion: Hypertension in HIV/AIDS patients is partially linked to invariable factors, such as age and sex. Efforts should be directed toward controlling reversible factors, particularly excessive weight gain and unsuitable diet.

There was a good agreement between the Framingham and PROCAM scores in HIV-positive patients, but a higher proportion of moderate-high risk was identified by the Framingham score. This disagreement should be evaluated in cohort studies to observe clinical outcomes over the course of time.

The use of HAART can prevent deaths among HIV-TB patients, corroborating the efficacy of starting HAART early in individuals with TB.

Liver biopsy is the gold-standard method to stage fibrosis; however, it is an invasive procedure and is potentially dangerous. The main objective of this study was to evaluate biological markers, such as cytokines platelets, bilirubins (Bil)

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