Revista de Imunobiologia

Around the world deaths are behaving in a unique way which was previously thought to be impossible, namely, they are showing on/off switching. In switch-on they suddenly jump to a new higher level, stay high for around 12- months, and then switch-off back to the baseline trajectory. This behaviour originates at small (neighbourhood) area level and aggregates to give regional and national events whose magnitude depends on the degree of small-area synchrony. This mini-review explores the possibility that the common immune-modifying virus cytomegalovirus may be involved in these events

Background: The application of network analysis in public health research is gaining popularity with the belief that health problems are a product of complex social, political and economic causes. Organisational networks can be used in public health to design and evaluate public health programs. There have been multiple studies in the past relating to public health organisations and HIV/AIDS using organisational networking method. Here we use social network analysis to analyse the association between the network positions of health care facilities and the treatment outcome of Ebola patients from these health care facilities in Sierra Leone.
Methods: We extracted and later analysed treatment outcome data obtained from the Case Report Forms (CRF) of 117 Ebola patients who sought Ebola treatment at the Kenema Government Hospital from June 2014 to April 2015. For ego network purpose, we considered each Ebola referral health care facility as an ego. Poisson regression analysis was used to determine the association between Ebola mortality rates in a health care facility and the ego’s structural holes.
Results: The median age, length of stay during Ebola treatment, and the period it takes an Ebola patient to survive treatment following from onset of signs and symptoms were 20 (IQR=17.5 years), 15 (IQR=11 days) and 7 (IQR=5.3 days) respectively. There were differences in ego, network efficiency, effective size and constraint for the factors associated with mortality rates for Ebola patients treated at the Kenema Government Hospital.
Conclusion: Establishing non-redundant contacts within a health care facility network and expanding their locations can reduce Ebola mortality rates during outbreak.

Vitiligo is considered to be the most commonly acquired hypomelanosis. In this study, we investigated some of the issues with regards to Vitiligo and its association with autoimmune thyroiditis. In this case-control study, thyroxine (FT4), triiodothyronine (FT3), and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) were measured in 130 patients with vitiligo and in 99 healthy volunteers. Also, we compared the frequency of thyroid autoantibodies (anti-Tg, thyroid peroxidase antibody, and anti-TPO) in the same groups.

Results: Showed that thyroid functional abnormalities were found in 6 (18.18%) patients. Anti-Tg and anti-TPO were positive in 115 (88.5%) patients respectively. In the control group, only nine subjects (9.1%) had abnormalities in thyroid hormonal condition, and two subjects had positive thyroid autoantibodies compared with the control group, and the frequency of both anti-Tg and anti-TPO was significantly higher in those with vitiligo.

Conclusion: This study showed a significant association between vitiligo and thyroid autoimmunity and the tests to detect thyroid autoantibodies that are appropriate in patients with vitiligo.

Multiple Endocrine neoplasia type 1 is a rare, autosomal dominant disorder consisting of tumors of the parathyroid, pancreatic islets, and anterior pituitary. The incidence of insulinoma in multiple endocrine neoplasia is relatively uncommon. However, insulinoma is the most common cause of hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia. We report a case of a 38-year-old female who presented to the emergency department because of frequent attacks of hypoglycemia in the form of diaphoresis, loss of consciousness, and tonic-clonic seizures. Parathyroidectomy was performed for her when she was 10 years old. After the biochemical and radiological investigation, she has been diagnosed with Multiple Endocrine neoplasia type 1 due to the presence of insulinoma, parathyroid adenoma, and a pituitary microdenoma. Insulinoma is a rare condition, however it should be encountered in the differential diagnosis of any young individual presenting with frequent hypoglycemic symptoms.

Among the clinical forms of leishmaniasis, visceral leishmaniasis is the most debilitating clinical form because it compromises mainly liver and spleen in the host. The immune response against the parasite and immune factors relating to protection or susceptibility are not well established. Experimental models and natural infection in dogs also have different patterns to human disease. In the scientific community, many groups are developing different strategies to find an effective vaccine that could be used in dogs, and/or human in the future, with success. The vaccine to leishmaniasis, together with other sanitary strategies, could decrease the infection rates in endemic countries. Here, it is presented a review of the last studies focusing in a vaccine against visceral leishmaniasis.

Vitiligo is considered to be the most commonly acquired hypomelanosis. In this study, we investigated some of the issues with regards to Vitiligo and its association with autoimmune thyroiditis. In this case-control study, thyroxine (FT4), triiodothyronine (FT3), and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) were measured in 130 patients with vitiligo and in 99 healthy volunteers. Also, we compared the frequency of thyroid autoantibodies (anti-Tg, thyroid peroxidase antibody, and anti-TPO) in the same groups. Results: Showed that thyroid functional abnormalities were found in 6 (18.18%) patients. Anti-Tg and anti-TPO were positive in 115 (88.5%) patients respectively. In the control group, only nine subjects (9.1%) had abnormalities in thyroid hormonal condition, and two subjects had positive thyroid autoantibodies compared with the control group, and the frequency of both anti-Tg and anti-TPO was significantly higher in those with vitiligo. Conclusion: This study showed a significant association between vitiligo and thyroid autoimmunity and the tests to detect thyroid autoantibodies that are appropriate in patients with vitiligo.