Oswaldo Cruz Foundation

About: Oswaldo Cruz Foundation is a facility organization based out in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Trypanosoma cruzi. The organization has 18673 authors who have published 36752 publications receiving 802378 citations. The organization is also known as: Fundação Oswaldo Cruz & FIOCRUZ.

Cross-cultural adaptation of the Independence in Activities of Daily Living Index (Katz Index)

Abstract: Desenvolvimento e analise do desempenho de uma adaptacao transcultural para o portugues da Escala de Katz de independencia em atividades da vida diaria. Duas traducoes e duas retrotraducoes analisaram as equivalencias conceitual, de itens e semântica para a escolha da versao final. A equivalencia operacional foi avaliada em um estudo piloto, testando-se a confiabilidade e a consistencia interna da versao adaptada por meio de reteste no mesmo dia em 156 pacientes ou apos sete dias da primeira entrevista. A resolucao de diferencas sutis em alguns itens levou a equivalencia cultural. A versao final foi considerada facil de se entender e de aplicar. A concordância corrigida para o acaso (kappa ponderado) foi de 0,91. O alfa de Chronbach variou de 0,80 a 0,92. A versao em portugues da Escala de Katz de independencia em atividades da vida diaria, completamente desenvolvida e testada, provou ser equivalente a original em ingles. Os itens apresentaram consistencia interna e as taxa foram confiaveis.

The Influence of Thalidomide on the Clinical and Immunologic Manifestation of Erythema Nodosum Leprosum

Abstract: Immunologic and clinical manifestations of erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL) and their response to thalidomide therapy were evaluated. Circulating tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF alpha) levels were assayed in serum obtained from lepromatous leprosy patients at diagnosis, during multidrug therapy, at the onset of ENL episodes, and during treatment with thalidomide. Patients with systemic ENL demonstrated the highest serum TNF alpha levels, which decreased significantly during thalidomide treatment. Serum TNF alpha in nonreactional patients was associated with mild flu-like symptoms and local inflammatory lesions. Serum interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) was also elevated in patients with high TNF alpha levels. Thalidomide therapy reduced not only serum TNF alpha levels and the clinical symptoms but also the dermal infiltration of polymorphonuclear leukocytes and T cells. The expression of intercellular adhesion molecule 1 and major histocompatibility complex class II antigens on the epidermal keratinocytes was also down-regulated. These results indicate that the thalidomide-induced alleviation of clinical symptoms of ENL was associated with a reduction of TNF alpha levels.

Cytokine patterns in the pathogenesis of human leishmaniasis.

Abstract: The host response to infection appears to be regulated by specific patterns of local cytokine production. In the mouse, resistance to many pathogens including Leishmania is associated with a THl cytokine profile, IL-2 and IFN-,y; whereas susceptibility to infection is associated with production of TH2 cytokines, IL4, IL-5, and IL-10. To determine the cytokine patterns of the local immune response to Leishmania infection in humans, we used the polymerase chain reaction to compare cytokine mRNAs in biopsy specimens of American cutaneous leishmaniasis. In localized cutaneous leishmaniasis and the Montenegro delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction, type 1 cytokine mRNAs such as IL-2, IFN-y, and lymphotoxin were relatively predominant. In the chronic and destructive mucocutaneous form of leishmaniasis, there was a mixture of type 1 and type 2 cytokines, with a striking abundance ofIL4mRNA in lesions. These results suggest that clinical course ofinfection with Leishmania braziliensis in man is associated with specific local patterns of cytokine production. (J. Clin. Invest. 1993.

Why do men use health services less than women? Explanations by men with low versus higher education

Abstract: O estudo tem como objetivo analisar as explicacoes presentes em discursos masculinos para a pouca procura dos homens por servicos de saude. O metodo do estudo baseia-se numa abordagem de pesquisa qualitativa. A representacao do cuidar como tarefa feminina, as questoes relacionadas ao trabalho, a dificuldade de acesso aos servicos e a falta de unidades especificamente voltadas para a saude do homem sao os principais motivos expressos pelos sujeitos para a pouca procura pelos servicos de saude. Conclui-se, dentre outros aspectos, que o imaginario social que ve o homem como ser invulneravel acaba contribuindo para que ele menos se cuide e mais se exponha a situacoes de risco.