ABSTRACT. The ethnic composition of the Brazilian population favors high frequencies of the -α3.7 deletion, responsible for α-thalassemia, because this mutation is very common in African populations. In spite of its importance, this hemoglobinopathy has been poorly investigated in Brazil, especially at the molecular level. We investigated the prevalence of the -α3.7 mutation in 220 individuals attended at the Municipal Hospital of Santarém, in the State of Pará. These patients were distributed into three different groups: i) 103 individuals with anemia who had microcytosis and hypochromia, ii) 11 individuals without anemia who had microcytosis and hypochromia, and iii) 106 individuals with no hematological alterations. We examined the usefulness of investigating α-thalassemia carrier status for microcytosis. Among the 103 patients with anemia, 20 (19.4%) were heterozygotes (-α3.7/αα) and one (1.0%) was a homozygote (-α3.7/-α3.7). Among the 11 patients without anemia, one heterozygote (-α3.7/αα) was identified; in the third group, composed of normal individuals (106 samples), deletion -α3.7 was found in seven samples (6.6%), all of which were heterozygotes (-α/αα). These frequencies are within the expected range, given available data on the distribution of this hemoglobin disorder in human popu- lations and the ethnic composition of the population of Santarém. We found that α-thalassemia is a common cause of microcytosis, given that a high proportion (19.2%) of the microcytic population carried α-globin gene deletions.

The most common hemoglobinopathies, viz, hemoglobins S and C, and α- and β-thalassemias, were investigated through the molecular screening of 116 subjects from the community of Saracura, comprising fugitive African slaves from farms of the municipality of Santarém, in the west of Pará State, Brazilian Amazon. The observed frequency of the HBB*S gene (0.9%) was significantly lower than that encountered in other Afro-derived communities in the region. Concomitantly, the absence of the HBB*C allele has been reported for most of the Afro-Amazonian communities thus far studied. As remnant populations of quilombos are generally small, the heterogeneous distribution of HBB * S and HBB * C alleles among them is probably due to genetic drift and/or founder effect. The observed frequency of 3.7 kb deletion in Saracura (8.5%) was consistent with the African origin of the population, with a certain degree of local differentiation and admixture with individuals of Caucasian ancestry, placed in evidence by the occurrence of - -(MED) deletion (1.2%), a common mutation in Mediterranean regions. As regards β-thalassemia, among the seven different mutations found in Saracura, three β o and two β + mutations were of Mediterranean origin, and two β + of African. Thus, only 28% of the local β-thalassemia mutations found in Saracura were of African origin.

HIV / AIDS epidemic continues to be a major public health problem, and when there is poor adherence to treatment, patients become susceptible to other infections such as toxoplasmosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the handgrip strength and quality of life of HIV infected patients diagnosed with neurotoxoplasmosis. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 40 HIV-infected patients, with and without diagnosis of neuroxoplasmosis.Sociodemographic and clinical profile information was collected, and handgrip strength and quality of life were evaluated. Almost all patients of both groups used antiretroviral therapy. In the handgrip strength evaluation, no statistical difference was observed for the right and left hand between groups with and without neurotoxoplasmosis (p> 0.05). However, the classifica-1 Federal University of Pará. Gradution of inadequate handgrip strength in the neurotoxoplasmosis group was significantly higher.ate Program in Tropical Diseases. In the quality of life domain, it was observed that financial concern had lower scores in the Belém, PA. Brazil. group with neurotoxoplasmosis (p = 0.0379). It was observed that neurotoxoplasmosis showedno association with epidemiological, clinical, handgrip strength and quality of life variables.2 State University of Pará. Center However, patients with neurotoxoplasmosis showed a trend towards lower muscle strength.

Objetivo: Realizar levantamento na comunidade acadêmica que envolve o curso de Fisioterapia da Universidade do Estado do Pará (UEPA), sobre o nível de satisfação e adaptação das estratégias de ensino implantadas sob metodologias ativas na universidade. Métodos: Trata-se de estudo realizado na UEPA Campus Santarém, com 47 participantes, dentre docentes e discentes, do segundo e terceiro ano do curso de Fisioterapia sob o currículo vigente. Foi aplicado um questionário on-line denominado Instrumento de Avaliação Continuada (IAC) composto por 10 afirmativas com 5 opções de resposta, nos meses de agosto e setembro de 2018. Resultados: O valor de concordância geral entre docentes e discentes alcançou 81,6% das afirmativas, considerado um nível satisfatório, visto que superou o índice mínimo de concordância de 80%. Conclusão: Conclui-se que a maioria ampla de docentes e discentes estão satisfeitos e adaptados com relação a metodologia ativa implantada no curso de Fisioterapia da UEPA, sendo relatadas também fragilidades peculiares e pontuais sobre o uso do método.

Introdução: A cidade de Santarém, o polo assistencial da região oeste do Pará, carece de estudos sobre a epidemia do vírus da imunodeficiência humana (HIV), especialmente, sobre as causas de óbitos. Objetivo: Caracterizar o perfil sociodemográfico e clínico relacionado à evolução da infecção pelo HIV até a morte. Método: A amostra foi de 94 prontuários de pacientes de um centro de referência do município de Santarém-PA, que evoluíram a óbito entre os anos de 2010-2018. Foram levantados os dados sobre o perfil sociodemográfico, características imunológicas e clínicas dos pacientes. Os dados foram analisados por estatística descritiva e inferencial, adotando-se p<0,05. Resultados: A maioria dos óbitos foi de indivíduos do sexo masculino (67%), com faixa etária do diagnóstico entre 15-29 anos (39%) e de falecimento entre 30-44 anos (41%), solteiros (54%), pardos (91,5%), procedentes de Santarém (77%) e com a relação sexual sendo o principal tipo de exposição (95,7%). A maioria dos pacientes não estava em tratamento no momento do óbito (56,4%), a principal causa de morte foi por insuficiência respiratória (5%), no qual, esses indivíduos apresentavam, no momento da morte, linfócitos TCD4+ <200 cél/mm3 (26%) e carga viral detectável (29%). Conclusão: O tempo de vida do diagnóstico ao óbito foi de 48,45±50,30 meses e a presença de imunossupressão no diagnóstico associou-se positivamente com o menor tempo de sobrevida. Contudo, o sexo não apresentou associação com o perfil imunológico, a idade no momento do diagnóstico e do óbito, apenas notou-se uma tendência das mulheres para a imunossupressão e carga viral detectável.