Background Human papillomavirus (HPV) and Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) infections are the most common sexually transmitted infections (STIs) globally. The latter has contributed to a variety of adverse outcomes for both sexes. Moreover, in Brazil, epidemiological studies on patients with STIs are limited. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of TV and its association with HPV in women undergoing cervical cancer screening. Methods Women with a normal cervix were recruited from a community-based cervical cancer screening program. Gynecological examinations were conducted, and questionnaires were provided. Vaginal canal and uterine cervix samples were collected for cytological examinations (reported using the 2001 Bethesda System) and tested for the presence of TV and HPV DNA. Results In total, 562 women who attended public primary healthcare were included in the study. The T. vaginalis was present in 19.0% (107) and HPV DNA was present in 46.8% (263) of women. Among the women of TV 73.8% (79) had a co-infection with HPV (p = 0.001). Conclusions We concluded that a TV infection is associated with an HPV infection of the cervix as well as with the cervical cytological abnormalities. Further studies could reveal the mechanisms by which these two organisms interact at the cellular level, with control for shared behavioral risk factors.

Objective. To verify the association between HPV infection and the presence of coinfections (Chlamydia trachomatis, Trichomonas vaginalis, and Neisseria gonorrhoeae) in women in the state of Maranhão. Methods. HPV-DNA detection was performed by the nested PCR, using the primers PGMY09/11 and GP + 5/GP + 6. For the identification of sexually transmitted agents, conventional PCR was performed using the following primers: KL1/KL2 (Chlamydia trachomatis), TVA5/TVA6 (Trichomonas vaginalis), and HO1/HO3 (Neisseria gonorrhoeae). DNA-HPV positive samples were subjected to automated sequencing for genotyping. Results. Among the 353 women evaluated, 204 (57.8%) had HPV-DNA, of which 140 (68.6%) exhibited HPV/STIs, while 64 (31.4%) had the only HPV. T. vaginalis infection showed a positive association with HPV ( p = 0.003 ). Women without cervical lesions were predominant (327/92.6%); however, the largest number of lesions was reported in women who had HPV/coinfections (18/8.8%). Multiple regression analysis showed that both HPV only and the concomitant presence of HPV/STI were able to indicate the occurrence of epithelial lesions (R = 0.164; R2 = 0.027). Conclusion. The findings suggest that the presence of T. vaginalis can contribute to HPV infection, and HPV/IST association may influence the development of cervical intraepithelial lesions that are precursors of cervical cancer.

Objective: to carry out an evaluation of the hygienic-sanitary conditions of food sold in the Central Market in São Luís - MA. Methodology: For the hygienic-sanitary evaluation from the legal point of view of the Central Market, the checklist set out as Annex I in RDC No. 216 of September 15, 2004 from Anvisa / Ministry of Health, which deals with the Technical Regulation of Good Practices for Food Services. The form was filled out according to the apparent analysis of the place, judging the items arranged in it in positive or negative for different subjects such as structure and hygienic habits of the sellers. Results: In the Central Market, it was found that, regarding the physical structure of the site, of the 08 criteria analyzed, 05 were negative, showing the precariousness of the premises' facilities. In the assessment of the hygiene and clothing habits of the handlers, of the 09 items analyzed, only 01 was attended to, while 08 were negative, although 02 of these were marked as positive. Regarding the aspects and quality of the food, of the 12 items analyzed, only 04 were in accordance with the standards, while 08 criteria obtained negative results. Conclusion: This study demonstrated the poor hygiene in the commercialization of food in the Central Market in São Luís - MA, from the premises of the place, quality and aspect of the food, to the hygienic habits and clothing of the handlers.

O câncer do colo do útero (CCU) é considerado um grave problema de saúde pública, apresentando além de alta incidência, uma grande morbimortalidade em todo o mundo. Este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar o perfil epidemiológico e citopatológico do câncer do colo do útero diagnosticados na cidade de São Luís no período de 2015 a 2020. Foi desenvolvido um estudo epidemiológico de natureza descritiva e com abordagem quantitativa e retrospectiva com dados coletados referentes a cidade de São Luís, Maranhão, Brasil. Estes dados foram coletados a partir do Sistema de Informação do Câncer (SISCAN) e discutidos com base em artigos publicados em periódicos e base de dados on-line.  Foram registrados 302.532 exames realizados no período de estudo. O ano de 2019 apresentou a maior quantidade de exames (25,4%). A faixa etária com maior número de exames compreendia entre 30 a 39 anos, totalizando 25,5%. Quanto à adequabilidade 98,4% das amostras classificaram-se como satisfatórias. O epitélio escamoso foi o mais representado nas amostras citopatológicas (58%). O rastreamento (99,1%) do CCU foi o principal motivo para a realização do exame. Dentre as alterações celulares benignas, a inflamação foi o achado com maior quantidade de registros (77,1%) e as lesões intraepiteliais de baixo grau foram as mais recorrentes (1,12%) entre as anormalidades celulares. Este estudo demonstra a necessidade da realização periódica de exames preventivos para o diagnóstico de CCU, uma vez que este tipo de câncer é passível de prevenção e cura, principalmente quando as lesões são diagnosticadas no estágio inicial.

O gênero Jatropha, está inserido na família Euphorbiaceae. Esta família compreende 290 gêneros e aproximadamente 7500 espécies, distribuídas em todo o mundo, principalmente nas regiões tropicais. Esse estudo objetivou realizar a prospecção de patentes das principais aplicações biológicas do gênero Jatropha. Para a realização da pesquisa, utilizaram-se as bases Instituto Nacional de Propriedade Industrial do Brasil (INPI), European Patent Office (Espacenet), United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) e os descritores A base da WIPO obteve maior número de patentes (n = 724), predominando a classificação C12N (n = 153). O número de patentes depositadas sobre o gênero de plantas Jatropha pode ser considerado alto quando pesquisado de forma geral (n = 1434), porém, ao se especificar apenas os efeitos farmacológicos do gênero, são encontrados poucos depósitos de patentes (n = 38), o que demonstra a falta de incentivo no registro de patentes direcionadas para essa tecnologia na área farmacológica, apesar de ser um campo de interesse comercial, assim como, um direcionamento das pesquisas científicas no atendimento às reais necessidades da sociedade e do setor econômico.

This study presents 25 cases of recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP) that occurred in Sao Luis, Maranhao State, Northeast region, Brazil, between January 2007 and December 2018. Sociodemographic and clinical profile of patients as well as human papillomavirus (HPV) infection status were evaluated. Clinical and histopathological data were collected from the patients' medical records. For the HPV infection analysis, DNA was extracted and subjected to amplification by a nested polymerase chain reaction. Viral genotyping was performed by automated sequencing. The median age of patients was 12.40 ± 12.6. years, and the juvenile form of the disease (68%) was the predominant form of disease. Female participants were predominant (60%), and they were from cities located in the interior of the State (60%). The most common clinical manifestation was dysphonia; recurrence was observed in most cases (56%), and tracheostomy was necessary in seven patients (26.9%). When comparing the RRP forms, patients in the juvenile-RRP group had higher recurrence rates and need of tracheostomy than those in the adult-RRP group. The viral genotyping analysis revealed that 47.8% of patients had low-risk HPVs, whereas 13.1% had high-risk HPVs, and in 39.1% of patients the viral genotype was not obtained. HPV-6 was the most prevalent type and Juvenile-RRP was more prevalent in our population. HPV was present at a high rate, and HPV-6 was the predominant genotype. This study serves as the basis for further studies to be conducted in the Brazilian population. Our findings aid the better understanding of RRP, possibly suggesting some prognostic factors associated with the disease aggressiveness.

Background A high prevalence and incidence of head and neck tumors make Brazil the country with the third-highest number of cases of these malignant neoplasms. The main risk factors are smoking and alcohol consumption; however, cases related to the human papillomavirus (HPV) have tripled in number, demonstrating a changing disease profile. Studies have reported the prevalence of HPV in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) to vary between 8% and 83%. The role of HPV as an important causative factor in LSCC remains unclear. Methods This retrospective study included 82 patients with LSCC diagnosed between 2014 and 2019 at two oncology hospitals in São Luís, Brazil. Sociodemographic and clinical data, and the histopathologic characteristics of the tumors, were collected directly from medical records. Genetic material was extracted from paraffin-embedded samples using nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and automated sequencing for HPV detection and genotyping. The results by social and clinicopathologic variables were then compared using the chi-squared test and multivariate analysis. Results Sociodemographic analysesdemonstrated that most patients were men (87.8%), brown-skinned (75.6%), and resident in the state capital (53.7%). They generally had a poor education status (53.7%), having only an elementary school education (completed/incomplete), and 51.2% were self-employed in occupations such as farming or fishing. Smoking and alcohol consumption habits were observed in approximately half the patients. With respect to clinical characteristics, 39% of patients exhibited T1/T2 staging, 51.2% had no distant metastasis, and 30.5% had lymph node invasion. HPV DNA was detected in half the samples (50%), with the high oncogenic type 16 being the most prevalent. There was no significant relationship observed between the economic, educational, occupational with the HPV LSCC in the presented data, although multivariate analysis demonstrated that HPV DNA was more likely to be present in T3–T4 tumors (p = 0.002).

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