Aryon de Almeida Barbosa Junior

Inoculação experimental de Equus asinus com Leishmania chagasi Cunha & Chagas, 1937

Four Equus asinus were challenged with promastigotes of Leishmania chagasi Cunha & Chagas, 1937, and followed up for 12 months. They were observed by means of direct testing for promastigotes in smears and culture of peripheral blood, fragments from inferior lip, bone marrow, spleen and liver and the immunological assays ELISA and TRALd. The post-necropsy histological examination demonstrated a small number of amastigotes in the liver of two animals. ELISA and TRALd tests were positive at the 8th, 10th and 12th month after inoculation. The results suggest that the donkeys were able to overcome the experimental leishmanial infection and did not infect the vector Lutzomyia longipalpis in the laboratory. Consequently they can not be considered an important reservoir in the epidemiological chain of transmission of visceral leishmaniasis, although they represent an important blood source for the vector and its proliferation.

Pentastomíase em roedor no estado da Bahia. Nota sobre o encontro de Armillifer moniliformis (Diesing, 1835) Sambon, 1922

Armillifer moniliformis (Diesing, 1835) Sambon, 1922, the causative agent of pentastomiasis in Asia, was found in a wild rodent (Zygodontomy pixuna Moojen, 1943),from Bahia State, Brazil.

Dynamics of fibrosis production and resorption in intestinal schistosomiasis of mice

A histological, morphometric and immunocytochemical study of schistosomal periovular granulomas in the liver and intestines of mice revealed that intestinal granulomas are smaller and contain less collagen than those in the liver. After curative treatment intestinal granulomas undergo a relatively more rapid resorption, although the general pattern of collagen degradation apparently does not differ from that observed in the liver. Tendency to form scattered, usually isolated granulomas that are only mildly fibrogenic, coupled with a well-balanced process of resorption appear as the explanation why intestinal fibrosis is not an outstanding feature of schistosomiasis as it is in the liver.

Hepatite de Lábrea em Salvador, BA?: (Apresentação de um possível caso)

A case of a four-year-old boy from Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, with a probable Labrea hepatitis is reported. He ran a rapid course of fever, jaundice, abdominal pain, agitation, coma and death. Histologically, the liver presented widespread hepatic cell lytic and coagulative necrosis, acute fatty changes, mononuclear cell infiltration and cholestasis. The study of the case raises the question whether Labrea hepatitis can occur outside the Amazonian region, or else its clinico-pathological features lack specificity.

Avaliação da neurólise ulnar na neuropatia hansênica

SUMMARY In this study, the authors assess the results of 35 surgical ulnar nerve decompression procedures performed on 28 leprous patients. The parameters employed included the visual analogue scale, the behavioral scale, the muscle strength evaluation, the esthesiometry and the evaluation of the effect of the procedure on decreasing postoperative corticoid therapy doses. Early resolution of pain was seen after surgery, muscle strength increased in half of the patients, sensitivity increased in half of the patients, with ongoing and significant decrease of prednisone doses after surgery.

Hanseníase associada a granuloma elastolítico

Two cases of leprosy combined with elastolytic giant cell granuloma are reported. Though a coincidental occurrence cannot be excluded, a possible pathogenetic relationship between the two conditions is postulated. It is possible that an immunological mechanism plays a role in the elastolytic process, which could also be caused by actinic damage in the skin altered by leprosy.

Placentite hematogênica em mães chagásicas

The authors studied 135 placentas of chagasic mothers who did not transmit their infection to the conceptus. In only one of these placentas they found rare parasites plus a focal and mild chronic villitis. In another 24 placentas they observed only villitis in the absence of parasitism determining a frequency of 17.9% of villitis of unknown etiology. A control group of placentas of non chagasic mothers was studied. The difference of frequency of villitis of unknown etiology in both groups was not statistically significant

Dynamics of Capillaria-hepatica-induced hepatic septal fibrosis in rats.

INTRODUCTION The pathogenesis of septal hepatic fibrosis, induced in rats by Capillaria hepatica infection, was studied with the aid of a large collection of stored paraffin blocks, representative of the different evolutive phases of fibrosis which appeared in 100% of infected rats. METHODS Studies were conducted involving histology, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence and morphometric methods, in order to observe the dynamic behavior of the cellular and matrix components of fibrosis, over a one year period of evolution. RESULTS Observation verified that septal fibrosis originates from several portal spaces simultaneously. Its origin and progression involve blood vessel proliferation (angiogenesis), multiplication of actin-positive cells (pericytes and myofibroblasts) and progressive collagen deposition. By the end of 4-5 months, a progressive decrease in all these components was observed, when signs of regression of septal fibrosis became more evident over time. CONCLUSIONS Besides indicating the fundamental role played by angiogenesis in the pathogenesis of fibrosis, these morphological data concerning the dynamics of this C. hepatica experimental model proved to be adequate for future investigations regarding the functional aspects of fibrosis induction, progression and regression.

Characterization of Biomaterial and Tissue Response Analysis after Implantation

Some biomaterials can be used to promote tissue repair process. The biological substitutes (biomaterials such as hydroxyapatite beads) can be used with some advantages and purpose of mimicking responses to on-site repair of the injured bone. The objective of this study was to evaluate the osteogenic potential of the biomaterial composed of hydroxyapatite and alginate in place of the critical defect. bioceramic samples stoichiometric hydroxyapatite was produced by the precipitation method, wet method with ion molar ratio of Ca 10 (PO 4) 6 (OH) 2, in which the Ca / P ratio was equal to 1.67. The reaction conditions were favorable to the composition of a biomaterial with crystalline phase. The synthesis of the biomaterial composed of hydroxyapatite and alginate microspheres (HAAlg5%; 200 ø 425mm) was obtained from two primary solutions with the aim of, in optimal reactive conditions, to form the precipitate. After synthesis the microspheres were implanted into the defect site. The potential effects of using HAAlg5% and the application of vibratory waves in the critical defect repair were unknown and the results described in this study are promising, considering the systemic therapy and at the site of injury. The biomaterial used promoted repair the injured tissue.

Organismos semelhantes a Actinomyces em esfregaços cérvico-vaginais de usuárias de dispositivo intra-uterino (DIU)

The prevalence of Actinomyces-like organisms in cervicovaginal smears of 2,347 Brazilian women, including 151 (6.4%) intrauterine devices (IUD) users for at least six months and as controls 2,196 (93.6%) non-wearers of similar age using hormonal, barrier, or other contraceptive methods or none, living in Salvador, Bahia, has been investigated. Cervical smears were stained by the Papanicolaou method for the microscopic examination of Actinomyces-like organisms. The relationship between Actinomyces-like organisms infection and contraceptive methods, age and number of sexual partners has been analyzed. The result showed that the overall detection rate of Actinomyces-like organisms in 2,347 women was 0.17%. The detection rates in IUD users and non-users were 1.32% and 0.09% respectively. The prevalence rate (1.32/0.09) was of 14.7, indicating a risk fourteen times greater for the presence of Actinomyces-like organisms in cervical smears of IUD users. No contraceptive methods were used by 43% of the patients. Most patients were between 21 and 30 years old, having 3-5 sexual partners.