RESUMOIntrodução: As reações são frequentes e importantes no contexto da hanseníase, representando uma significativa parcela de pacientes com incapacidades e submetidos ao retratamento da hanseníase. A caracterização clínico-epidemiológica dos padrões reacionais é primordial para o manejo dos pacientes. O objetivo desse trabalho é descrever as características epidemiológicas e clínicas das reações hansênicas em indivíduos paucibacilares e multibacilares. Métodos: Estudo transversal onde foram avaliados 201 pacientes com história de quadro reacional, atendidos em dois centros de referência para tratamento da hanseníase. Variáveis como baciloscopia inicial, sexo, idade, fototipo, procedência, forma clínica, tipo de tratamento e de reação, índice baciloscópico final e período de surgimento da reação em relação ao tratamento foram avaliados. A análise estatística foi realizada usando-se frequências simples. Para cálculo dos fatores de risco para as formas multibacilares, foram realizadas análises univariada e multivariada. Resultados: Sexo masculino, idade entre 30-44 anos, fototipo V, a forma clínica borderline, tratamento regular, reação tipo I, neurite, presença de 10 a 20 nódulos e surgimento da reação hansênica durante o tratamento foram os achados mais frequentes. Conclusões: Predominaram os indivíduos do sexo masculino que se associaram a um maior risco de desenvolvimento da forma multibacilar. As reações hansênicas foram mais frequentes durante o tratamento, os pacientes multibacilares foram mais propensos ao retratamento da hanseníase e aqueles com reações tipo I e II, apresentaram maior frequência de neurite, linfadenopatia, artrite e irite do que aqueles com reação isolada. Palavras-chaves: Hanseníase. Reações hansênicas. Epidemiologia. Sinais e sintomas. ABSTRACTIntroduction: Significant reactions frequently occur among leprosy cases, and thus a significant proportion of leprosy patients present disabilities and undergo leprosy retreatment. Clinicalepidemiological characterization of reaction patterns is essential for managing such patients. Objective to describe the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of leprosy reactions among paucibacillary and multibacillary individuals. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 201 patients with histories of reactions who were attended at two reference centers for leprosy treatment were evaluated. Variables such as initial bacilloscopy, sex, age, skin phototype, origin, clinical presentation, type of treatment, type of reaction, final bacilloscopy index and time of reaction onset in relation to the treatment were evaluated. Statistical analysis was performed using simple frequencies. To calculate risk factors for multibacillary forms, univariate and multivariate analyses were performed. Results: Male sex, age between 30 and 44 years, phototype V, borderline clinical form, regular treatment, type I reaction, neuritis, presence of 10 to 20 nodules and onset of the leprosy reaction during the treatment were the most frequent findings. Conclusions: Male patients ...

AimsThe aim of this study was to evaluate the association between vitamin D deficiency and risk of heart failure in elderly patients of cardiology outpatient clinics.Methods and resultsA cross‐sectional study with an analytical approach was employed. Clinical data were collected from the elderly from August 2015 to February 2016. The dependent variable was the risk of heart failure; the independent variable was vitamin D deficiency; and intervening factors were age, gender, education, ethnicity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, renal failure, dementia, stroke, dyslipidaemia, depression, smoking, alcoholism, obesity, andropause, and cardiac arrhythmia. To analyse the association between vitamin D deficiency and risk of heart failure, we used the bivariate logistic analysis, followed by analysis through the multivariate logistic regression model. Of the 137 elderly, the study found the following: women (75.9%); overweight (48.2%); obese (30.6%); increase in the index waist/hip (88.3%); dyslipidaemia (94.2%) and hypertension (91.2%); coronary artery disease (35.0%); and 27.7% with cardiac arrhythmia or left ventricular hypertrophy. Sixty‐five per cent of the elderly were deficient in vitamin D. The risk of heart failure was significantly associated with vitamin D deficiency [odds ratio (OR): 12.19; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 4.23–35.16; P = 0.000], male gender (OR: 15.32; 95% CI = 3.39–69.20, P = 0.000), obesity (OR: 4.17; 95% CI = 1.36–12.81; P = 0.012), and cardiac arrhythmia (OR: 3.69; 95% CI = 1.23–11.11; P = 0.020).ConclusionsThere was a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in the elderly, and the evidence shows a strong association between vitamin D deficiency and increased risk of heart failure in this population.

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The objectives of this study were to determine the distribution of phylogenetic groups among Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates from Recife, Brazil and to assess the relationship between the groups and the isolation sites and resistance profile. Ninety four isolates of K. pneumoniae from hospital or community infections and from normal microbiota were analyzed by gyrA PCR-RFLP, antibiotic susceptibility, and adonitol fermentation. The results revealed the distinction of three phylogenetic groups, as it has also been reported in Europe, showing that these clusters are highly conserved within K. pneumoniae. Group KpI was dominantly represented by hospital and community isolates while groups KpII and KpIII displayed mainly normal microbiota isolates. The resistance to third generation cephalosporins, aztreonam, imipenem, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, and streptomycin was only observed in KpI. The percentage of resistance was higher in KpI, followed by KpII and KpIII. The differences in the distribution of K. pneumoniae phylogenetic groups observed in this study suggest distinctive clinical and epidemiological characteristics among the three groups, which is important to understand the epidemiology of infections caused by this organism. This is the first study in Brazil on K. pneumoniae isolates from normal microbiota and community infections regarding the distribution of phylogenetic groups based on the gyrA gene.

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BackgroundKaposi's sarcoma continues to be the most common human immunodeficiency virus - associated neoplasm with considerable morbidity and mortality.ObjectiveTo describe the clinical and laboratory characteristics, initial staging, and outcomes of aids patients with Kaposi's sarcoma at an university hospital of Recife, Pernambuco.MethodsThis is a descriptive study with analytic character, retrospective, of a case series between 2004 and 2014.ResultsOf the 22 patients included in the study, 20 were aged <40 years (72.7%). The majority had CD4+ T lymphocyte counts of <200 cells/mm3 (77.3%) and human immunodeficiency virus loads of <100,000 copies/mL (78.9%). Lesions were most commonly observed on the skin (90%), and internal organs were affected in 11 of the 22 patients. Only 7 (31.8%) of the 22 patients were undergoing antiretroviral therapy (ART) at the time of Kaposis sarcoma diagnosis, and the initial disease staging classification was high risk (Aids Clinical Trials Group Oncology Committee) in 19 of the 22 patients (86.4%). Regarding Kaposi's sarcoma treatment, 17 of 22 patients (77.3%) underwent systemic chemotherapy + ART and 5 were treated exclusively with ART. Eight of the 22 patients died (36.5%); of these, 87.5% had died within one year of Kaposi's sarcoma diagnosis.Limitation of the studyWithout a control group, this study cannot be used to generate hypotheses.ConclusionsDespite the association between aids and late Kaposi's sarcoma diagnosis in the study population, including an unfavorable risk at the time of staging, a lower mortality rate was observed relative to other studies; this might be related to access to a specialized health service.

SUMMARYReport of a 45-year-old male farmer, a resident in the forest zone of Pernambuco, who was diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in 1999 and treated using antiretroviral (ARV) drugs. In 2005, the first episode of visceral leishmaniasis (VL), as assessed by parasitological diagnosis of bone marrow aspirate, was recorded. When admitted to the hospital, the patient presented fever, hepatosplenomegaly, weight loss, and diarrhea. Since then, six additional episodes of VL occurred, with a frequency rate of one per year (2005-2012, except in 2008). In 2011, the patient presented a disseminated skin lesion caused by the amastigotes of Leishmania, as identified by histopathological assessment of skin biopsy samples. In 2005, he was treated with N-methyl-glucamine-antimony and amphotericin B deoxycholate. However, since 2006 because of a reported toxicity, the drug of choice was liposomal amphotericin B. As recommended by the Ministry of Health, this report emphasizes the need for HIV patients living in VL endemic areas to include this parasitosis in their follow-up protocol, particularly after the first infection of VL.

COMUNICAÇÃOCabeça e pescoço de crianças mais velhas e adultos imunocompetentes não raro são afetados na escabiose, mas há pouca descrição das lesões observadas.1 O diagnóstico é clínico, pois o raspado tem baixa sensibilidade.2 Realizado estudo para dar subsídios no diagnóstico da infestação nesses locais.Incluídos 124 pacientes com idade igual ou superior a cinco anos e diagnóstico clínico de escabiose clássica. Foram fotografadas lesões na cabeça e no pescoço que pudessem ser atribuídas à escabiose, como pápulas, crostas, pústulas, nódulos, descamação, escoriações ou vesículas, e feito raspado, com lâmina única para cada local isoladamente: couro cabeludo, face, pescoço ou região auricular, pré e retroauricular.As lesões foram assim classificadas: a) confirmadas com o raspado: qualquer apresentação clínica com raspado positivo, 3 b) diagnosticadas clinicamente: pápulas eritematosas com ou sem crostículas e crostículas isoladas, com raspado negativo, excluídas outras dermatoses, c) apenas suspeitas: não consideradas devidas à escabiose pela não exclusão de outras doenças, como placas e máculas eritêmato-escamosas, pústulas, vesículas, e raspado negativo. Estudo aprovado pelo Comitê de Ética da UFPE.