Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is common in sexually active women and viral persistence may cause intraepithelial lesions and eventually progress to cervical cancer (CC). The present study aimed to investigate epidemiological factors related to HPV infection and to evaluate viral persistence and CC precursor lesions frequencies in women from a city in the countryside of South Brazil. Three hundred women were recruited from a primary public health care clinic. The patients were interviewed and underwent sampling with cervical brushes for HPV-DNA detection/typing by a PCR-based assay and cytological analysis by Pap smear test. HPV was detected in 47 (15.7%) women. HPV infection was significantly associated with young age (<30 years) and low socio-economic status. Seventeen (5.7%) women presented cytological abnormalities, three of them with precursor CC intraepithelial lesions. A subgroup of 79 women had been previously analyzed and thirteen (16.4%) were persistently infected, two with precursor CC intraepithelial lesions and high-risk HPV types infection (both of them without cervical abnormalities in the first exam). In conclusion, HPV infection was associated with young age (<30 years) and low family income; viral persistence was low (16.4%) but related to CC precursor lesions; and HPV-DNA high risk types detection would help to screen CC in the population.

ABSTRACT. Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a common viral sexually transmitted infection and the main cause of cervical cancer in women worldwide. Epidemiological data on the prevalence of HPV in a given population is essential for the establishment of effective prevention strategies. The aim of this study was to determine HPV prevalence in women who attended a public health service within an urban center in Brazil. Cervical samples were collected from 337 women recruited from a primary public health care clinic in the city of Cruz Alta located in Rio Grande do Sul, the were detected in 83 (72.8%) and 48 (42.1%) samples, respectively. Furthermore, a great diversity of HPV genotypes was observed (18 high-risk, 12 low-risk, and 1 indeterminate). The most commonly identified low-risk types were candHPV62 (7.9%) and 61 (5.3%), while the most common high-risk types were 16 and 33 (8.8% each). Abnormal cytology was observed in 10 (3.0%) women, 9 of which were infected with HPV. Of the remaining 327 women with normal cytology results, 107 (32.7%) were positive for HPV DNA. HPV infection was correlated with younger age (less than 40 years), a first Pap smear, and other vaginal infections.

The method of nested-PCR proved to be an effective diagnostic tool for HPV detection and typing.

Endometriosis is characterized by the presence of endometrial tissue outside the uterus. When endometrial implants penetrate more than 5 mm into the peritoneum, the condition is referred to as deep pelvic endometriosis. Although laparoscopy is the gold standard test to establish a diagnosis of deep endometriosis, transvaginal ultrasound represents an alternative that can contribute to detection of the disease, because it is an accessible, low-cost, noninvasive examination that allows preoperative planning in cases requiring surgical treatment. However, in clinical practice, transvaginal ultrasound is still not widely used as the first-line examination in suspected cases of endometriosis. This essay describes the findings of deep endometriosis on transvaginal ultrasound, in order to disseminate knowledge of the utility of the technique for the diagnosis of this disease.

Risco de desnutrição e internação hospitalar em idosos atendidos na Atenção Básica Resumo O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar a associação do risco de desnutrição e dos itens isolados da Mini

Cervical cancer (CC) is caused by persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and affects women worldwide. The progression of an HPV persistent infection to CC is influenced by genetic factors. Three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in TP53, NQO1 and RPS19 genes (rs1042522, rs1800566, rs2305809, respectively) were previously associated with CC in European and North American populations. The present case-control study aimed to investigate the association of the SNPs rs1042522, rs1800566, and rs2305809 with CC in an admixed population in southern Brazil. A total of 435 women (106 CC patients and 329 controls) were recruited for this study. All women were interviewed and underwent clinical sampling. SNPs rs1042522 and rs1800566 were evaluated by PCR-RFLP. SNP rs2305809 was determined by real-time PCR. The crude and adjusted ORs with 95% CI were estimated. The recessive genetic model (C/C + C/T) for rs2305809 was more frequent in the control group (79.9%) compared to the cases (69.8%), being associated with CC protection (adjustedOR = 0.49; 95% CI: 0.27–0.90). However, the other polymorphisms evaluated did not present significant differences between cases and controls. This study detected a protective association for the recessive genetic model in rs2305809. These results suggest a potential role of the RPS19 gene in CC.

BACKGROUND: It is clinically important to detect and type human papillomavirus (HPV) in a sensitive and specific manner. OBJECTIVES: Development of a nested-polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (nested-PCR-RFLP) assay to detect and type HPV based on the analysis of L1 gene. METHODS: Analysis of published DNA sequence of mucosal HPV types to select sequences of new primers. Design of an original nested-PCR assay using the new primers pair selected and classical MY09/11 primers. HPV detection and typing in cervical samples using the nested-PCR-RFLP assay. RESULTS: The nested-PCR-RFLP assay detected and typed HPV in cervical samples. Of the total of 128 clinical samples submitted to simple PCR and nested-PCR for detection of HPV, 37 (28.9%) were positive for the virus by both methods and 25 samples were positive only by nested-PCR (67.5% increase in detection rate compared with single PCR). All HPV positive samples were effectively typed by RFLP assay. CONCLUSION: The method of nested-PCR proved to be an effective diagnostic tool for HPV detection and typing

Objetivo: Identificar o perfil clínico e epidemiológico de idosos que vivem com HIV/Aids.Materiais e Métodos: Estudo observacional, documental, transversal, prospectivo, descritivo e analítico, realizado a partir de prontuários clínicos de um Serviço de Atenção Especializada. Resultados: O estudo incluiu 64 idosos, dos quais, 53% (34) eram homens e 47% (30) eram mulheres, 81% (52) possuíam escolaridade igual ou inferior a ensino fundamental completo, 67% (43) apresentaram linfócitos TCD4 ≥ 350 células/mm³, 81% (52) tinham carga viral ≤ 40 cópias/mL, 974% (62) foram infectados por relação heterossexual e 84,5% (54) apresentaram pelo menos uma comorbidade. As comorbidades mais incidentes foram caquexia (48%), anemia (35%), tabagismo (31,5%) e hipertensão arterial sistêmica (18,5%) foram as doenças não transmissíveis mais incidentes. A candidíase oral (55,5%) foi a infecção oportunistas com maior incidência nos idosos participantes do estudo.Conclusão: A presença de comorbidades e infecções oportunistas deve ser investigada entre idosos com HIV para garantir suporte e melhores cuidados a estes indivíduos.