SARS-CoV-2 has recently emerged, becoming a global threat, affecting directly all human beings owing to its morbidity and mortality and indirectly, due to the enormous economic and psychological impact produced by social isolation, the most effective measure so far, but unsustainable for a long period. The scientific effort to understand and control SARS-CoV-2 transmission and clinical impact has been huge, and important achievements are highlighted in this review. Diagnosis is central and is the first step in recognizing and fighting any infectious agent. Instrumental to that is the quality of the data, relying on serological and molecular surveys in addition to trustworthy clinical records. However, the fast spread of a virus adapted for human-to-human respiratory transmission raised a demand for millions of molecular tests that are simply not available. Several candidate drugs are under evaluation in clinical trials. Those with an already recognized safety profile are more auspicious, since, if proven effective, can cut several steps of production and phase 2 and 3 trials. More than one hundred vaccine prototypes are in different stages of development, however, safety and efficacy evaluations cannot be obviated, implicating, most optimistically, in at least months for us to have an effective immunization, the definite measure to allow a safe return to the pre-pandemic lifestyle. Science has never been more necessary and present in daily life. Relying on the best of human wit is the only way out to this pandemic, saving as many lives as possible.

Persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is an essential factor of cervical cancer. This study evaluated the analytical performance of restriction fragment length polymorphism polymerase chain reaction (PCR-RFLP) assay compared to PapilloCheck® microarray to identify human papilloma virus (HPV) in cervical cells. Three hundred and twenty-five women were analyzed. One sample was used for conventional cytology and another sample was collected using BD SurePath™ kit for HPV tests. Eighty samples (24.6%) were positive for HPV gene by PCR-Multiplex and were then submitted to PCR-RFLP and PapilloCheck® microarray. There was a genotyping agreement in 71.25% (57/80) on at least one HPV type between PCR-RFLP and PapilloCheck® microarray. In 22 samples (27.5%), the results were discordant and those samples were additionally analyzed by DNA sequencing. HPV 16 was the most prevalent HPV type found in both methods, followed by HPVs 53, 68, 18, 39, and 66 using PCR-RFLP analysis, and HPVs 39, 53, 68, 56, 31, and 66 using PapilloCheck® microarray. In the present study, a perfect agreement using Cohen's kappa (κ) was found in HPV 33 and 58 (κ=1), very good for HPV 51, and good for types 16, 18, 53, 59, 66, 68, 70, and 73. PCR-RFLP analysis identified only 25% (20/80) HPV coinfection, and PapilloCheck® microarray found 62.5% (50/80). Our Cohen's kappa results indicate that our in-house HPV genotyping testing (PCR-RFLP analysis) could be applied as a primary HPV test screening, especially in low income countries. If multiple HPV types are found in this primary test, a more descriptive test, such as PapilloCheck® microarray, could be performed.

The association of education, tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, and interleukin-2 (IL-2 +114 and -384) and -6 (IL-6 -174) DNA polymorphisms with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) was investigated in a cohort study of 445 subjects. IL-2 and IL-6 genotypes were determined by real-time PCR. Cox regression was used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) of disease-specific survival according to anatomical sites of the head and neck. Mean age was 56 years and most patients were males (87.6%). Subjects with 5 or more years of schooling had better survival in larynx cancer. Smoking had no effect on HNSCC survival, but alcohol consumption had a statistically significant effect on larynx cancer. IL-2 gene +114 G/T (HR = 0.52; 95%CI = 0.15-1.81) and T/T (HR = 0.22; 95%CI = 0.02-3.19) genotypes were associated with better survival in hypopharynx cancer. IL-2 +114 G/T was a predictor of poor survival in oral cavity/oropharynx cancer and larynx cancer (HR = 1.32; 95%CI = 0.61-2.85). IL-2 -384 G/T was associated with better survival in oral cavity/oropharynx cancer (HR = 0.80; 95%CI = 0.45-1.42) and hypopharynx cancer (HR = 0.68; 95%CI = 0.21-2.20), but an inverse relationship was observed for larynx cancer. IL-6 -174 G/C was associated with better survival in hypopharynx cancer (HR = 0.68; 95%CI = 0.26-1.78) and larynx cancer (HR = 0.93; 95%CI = 0.42-2.07), and C/C reduced mortality in larynx cancer. In general, our results are similar to previous reports on the value of education, smoking, alcohol consumption, and IL-2 and IL-6 genetic polymorphisms for the prognosis of HNSCC, but the risks due to these variables are small and estimates imprecise.

O vírus da Hepatite G ou vírus GB-C é um novo vírus recentemente descoberto em casos de hepatites não A-E. Neste estudo, casos de hepatite crônica não-B, não-C foram testados com uma reação de amplificação específica para GBV-C. Este vírus foi detectado em 1 entre os 13 casos estudados. Este paciente apresentava insuficiência hepática severa, tinha habitado por vários anos na Amazônia Ocidental e nenhuma outra causa para este quadro clínico havia sido relatada. O impacto da descoberta deste novo agente está ainda sendo investigado. O estudo da prevalência deste vírus entre pacientes com hepatite crônica e entre indivíduos sadios (como, por exemplo, doadores de sangue) fornecerá subsídios para o estabelecimento de sua real patogenicidade.

Hepatitis G virus/ GB virus C is a novel flavivirus recently detected in hepatitis non A-E cases. In this study, the presence of this virus in chronic non-B, non-C hepatitis patients was evaluated using GBV-C specific PCR and this virus was detected in one out of thirteen patients. This patient has presented a severe liver failure, has lived for a long time in the Western Amazon basin and no other cause for this clinical picture was reported. The impact of the discovery of this new agent is still under evaluation throughout the world. The study of the prevalence of this virus among chronic hepatitis patients and healthy individuals (as blood donors) will furnish subside to evaluate its real pathogenicity.