HLA-G alleles and their impacts on placental HSV-1 infection in women from southern Brazil

The Human Leukocyte Antigen G (HLA-G) is an immunoregulatory molecule with a critical role in pregnancy success. HLA-G alleles are associated with differential susceptibility to multiple conditions, including gestational problems, infectious diseases, and viral persistence. Of note, both herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2) can impair HLA-G expression, interfering with HLA-G-associated immunoregulation. On the other hand, the impacts of HLA-G alleles on susceptibility to Herpesviridae infection is a neglected issue. Therefore, this study evaluated HLA-G allele frequencies and their associations with placental Herpesviridae infection in women from southern Brazil. Placenta samples were collected soon after delivery, and detection of viral DNA of HSV-1, HSV-2 and human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) was performed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). A fragment of HLA-G (exons 2-4) was amplified by PCR, sequenced, and analyzed to allele determination. One hundred and seventy women had their alleles determined. Overall, 25 HLA-G alleles were found, distributed into 56 different genotypes. The most frequent alleles were G* 01:01:01 and G* 01:01:02, found in 37.9 % and 16.5 % of samples, respectively. Among the 170 women, 89 (52.4 %) tested positive for Herpesviridae DNA in the placenta, 55 (32.3 %) tested negative, 3 (1.8 %) were negative for HSV-1 and HSV-2 (with absent HCMV data), and 23 (13.5 %) were undetermined. The G* 01:01:01 allele was significantly associated with an increased risk of placental HSV-1 infection (p = 0.0151; OR=1.837; IC=1.108-3.045). This study describes new information concerning placental HLA-G alleles in women from southern Brazil and helps explain how genetic background can modify susceptibility to placental infections.

Prevalence of Overweight and Associated Factors in a Male Prison Population in the Extreme South of Brazil: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: This cross-sectional study serves as a first Brazilian inventory about overweight as a marker for metabolic health and risk factor to develop noncommunicable chronic diseases in prison populations. The prevalence of overweight, and its associated factors in prisoners of the Fifth Regional State Penitentiary of Rio Grande do Sul (5th DPR) in the extreme South of Brazil were investigated using a precoded questionnaire with sociodemographic, behavioral, and health questions, applied to proportional stratified random sampled prisoners. Methods: Five hundred eighty male prisoners (70%) in the closed regime agreed to answer the questionnaire and allowed anthropomorphic body measurement, carried out by trained scientists. We used bivariate Pearson's chi-squared test and adjusted multinomial logistic regression for analyses. Results: Considering that the studied incarcerated population is young (mean age 33 years) it is concerning that already 43.6% of them are overweight, report regular sweets and sugary soft drink consumption (77.7%, and 81.4%, respectively), 60.2% are smokers, and 19.4% are at elevated risk to develop cardiovascular diseases. Further, 13.8% of the respondents reported a diagnosis of hypertension, 4.9% hypercholesterolemia, and 2.7% diabetes mellitus type 2. Among those who reported not smoking, excess weight was almost four times higher (prevalence ratio: 3.79; 95% confidence interval: 2.61-5.50). Conclusions: Our study suggests that the prison environment promotes modifiable risk factors for chronic diseases. These data deserve attention and intervention, aiming to prevent and reduce the current levels of excess weight.

Evaluation of factors associated with vertical HIV-1 transmission

OBJECTIVE

To compare the prevalence and factors associated with vertical transmission of human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) among pregnant women treated in the periods of 1998-2004 and 2005-2011 in a reference service for the care of HIV-infected patients in southern Brazil.

METHODS

This was a descriptive and analytical study that used the databases of laboratories from the CD4 and STDs/AIDS Viral Load National Laboratory Network of the Brazilian Ministry of Health. HIV-1-infected pregnant women were selected after an active search for clinical information and obstetric and neonatal data from their medical records between the years of 1998 and 2011.

RESULTS

102 pregnant women were analyzed between 1998 and 2004 and 251 in the period between 2005 and 2011, totaling 353 children born to pregnant women with HIV-1. It was observed that the vertical transmission rate was 11.8% between 1998 and 2004 and 3.2% between 2005 and 2011 (p<0.001). The increased use of antiretroviral drugs (p=0.02), the decrease in viral load (p<0.001), and time of membrane rupture lower than 4h (p<0.001) were associated with the decrease of vertical transmission factors when comparing the two periods.

CONCLUSION

It was observed a decrease in the rate of vertical transmission in recent years. According to the studied variables, is suggested that the risk factors for vertical transmission of HIV-1 were absence of antiretroviral therapy, high viral load in the pregnant women, and membrane rupture time >4h.