INTRODUCTION: The present study shows a descriptive analysis of triatomine occurrence and its natural Trypanosoma infection rates in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil, between 2006 and 2007. METHODS: Entomological data for the species, such as specimens captured in both intra and peridomiciles and natural infection index, were obtained via domiciliary capture in 147 municipalities from 11 Regional Managements of Health. The database was obtained from a sample of insects (100% infected and 20% non-infected) sent to the Central Laboratory of Pernambuco. RESULTS: A total of 18,029 triatomines were analyzed from 138 municipalities of the state. Triatoma pseudomaculata (35%), Triatoma brasiliensis (34%), and Panstrongylus lutzi (25%) were the most captured species. These species also showed a widespread geographical distribution in the state. Panstrongylus megistus, Triatoma petrocchiae, Triatoma melanocephala, Triatoma sordida, Rhodnius nasutus, Rhodnius neglectus, and Triatoma infestans showed more limited geographical distribution and lower relative abundance. The parasitological research showed that 8.8% of the triatomines were naturally infected with flagellates morphologically similar to Trypanosoma cruzi and 91.3% of them were captured inside houses in 113 municipalities. P. lutzi showed the highest rates of natural infection. CONCLUSIONS: After the control of T. infestans, synanthropic species, such as T. brasiliensis, T. pseudomaculata, and P. lutzi, maintain the risk of T. cruzi transmission to humans in the state of Pernambuco. These species are widely distributed, and infected specimens have been found inside houses. Thus, an enhanced surveillance and vector control of Chagas disease is recommended in Pernambuco.
The pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is complex, with several susceptibility genes and environmental factors involved in its development and clinical manifestation. Currently, there is a great amount of interest in the identification of biomarkers, as cytokines, that can quantify the susceptibility of SLE, the risk of future organ involvement, and association of their changes with disease activity. To investigate the associations between polymorphisms in the gene of Interferon gamma (IFN-γ) and in the promoter of the Interleukin-10 (IL-10) gene and SLE. The polymorphisms +874 T/A (rs2430561) in the IFN-γ gene and -1082G/A (rs1800896) in the IL-10 promoter were determined in 99 SLE patients and 100 healthy controls among women Brazilian using the refractory mutation system polymerase chain reaction method. Disease activity was assessed using the SLE activity index. There were significant differences in the distribution of the genotype T/A in IFN-γ gene polymorphism (+874) (χ (2) = 7.168; P = 0.0074) and the genotype G/A in IL-10 promoter polymorphism (-1082) (χ (2) = 4.654; P = 0.0310) between the SLE and control groups. However, no association was observed between clinical features and the polymorphisms studied. This study presents preliminary evidence for association between IL-10 and IFN-γ polymorphism and SLE susceptibility, but not with clinical features in a Northeast population from Brazil.
Increasing research findings argue for a link between brain cholesterol turnover and Alzheimer's disease (AD). High cerebral levels of this lipid increase Ass load. The elimination of cerebral cholesterol involves two mechanisms, dependent of apolipoprotein E and cholesterol 24-hydroxylase (CYP46). CYP46 is a gene associated with AD; the most studied single nucleotide polymorphism is the rs754203, which changes T-->C. Some studies describe that this polymorphism is possibly associated with loss of function of CYP46; others describe that it is possibly associated with cerebral cholesterol accumulation or an increase of CYP46 activity leading to an accumulation of the 24S-hydroxycholesterol in cerebrospinal fluid. Publications about this subject around the world are controversial. Some studies associate the T allele with AD and others the C allele. The aim of this review is to describe and summarize the findings of the researches about the relationship between CYP46 and AD that have been published in the past 9 years.
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