ABSTRACT Purpose: Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most frequent cancer among men in the Western population. Infections, such as the one caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), have been shown to promote inflammation that can lead to the appearance of neoplasms. This study aimed to verify the presence of HPV in neoplastic and non-neoplastic prostate tissue in patients undergoing prostate biopsy and its possible relationship with PCa. Methods: Prostate tissue fragments were collected by prostate biopsy and subjected to polymerase chain reaction with primers for the HPV L1 gene to identify the presence of the virus. Results: Among 162 patients, 10 (6.2%) had HPV and in 152 (93.8%) HPV was not identified in prostate biopsies. HPV was detected in 7/95 (7.4%) of patients with PCa, in 2/55 (3.6%) of patients without PCa, and in no patient with an inconclusive diagnosis of PCa. There was no significant difference (p = 0.487) of HPV presence in the tissue of patients with PCa. Conclusions: There were no significant levels of HPV L1 protein in prostate tissue. The findings suggest the absence of HPV oncogenic activity in the prostate tissue of patients with PCa.

Com o objetivo de avaliar a dispersão de Aedes aegypti e Ae. albopictus para a área rural, foram instalados pneus em quatro transectos (Norte, Sul, Leste e Oeste), a cada 5 Km, do limite da zona urbana de Londrina em direção a zona rural. Larvas de Culicidae foram coletadas quinzenalmente de agosto de 1998 a agosto de 1999. Um total de 62.517 larvas de Culicidae foram coletadas, distribuídas entre as seguintes espécies: Aedes albopictus (21.71%); Ae. aegypti (5.54%); Ae. terrens (0.53%); Ae. fluviatilis (0.36%); Anopheles argyritarsi (0.01%); Culex quinquefasciatus (48.37%); Cx. mollis (8.88%); Cx. eduardoi (8.65%); Cx. corniger (0.61%); Cx. bigoti (0.24%); Cx. grupo coronator (0.12%); Limatus durhanii (4.61%) e Toxorhynchites sp. (0.32%). Houve uma drástica diminuição na população de Ae. aegypti dos limites da cidade para a zona rural (x1= 21.72 ± 4.71; x2=0.00) e um aumento da população de Ae. albopictus (x1 = 15.64 ± 2.73; x2 = 38.37 ± 8.87). Aedes aegypti não foi encontrado somente nos pontos situados a 30 Km da cidade; no entanto, Ae. albopictus foi encontrado em todos os pontos. Conclui-se que ambas espécies encontram-se dispersas para a zona rural da área estudada e que é necessário um redimensionamento da área de controle destes vetores, já que a zona rural pode servir como um refúgio destas espécies.

Seventy-two tyres were placed in four transects (Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western), every 5 km, from the Londrina city limits to the rural areas, to verify the dispersion of Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus vectors. Mosquito larvae were collected fortnightly from August 1998 to August 1999. Data were organized according to the average number of larvae collected for each species in each collection site. A total of 62,517 mosquito larvae were collected and distributed into the following species: Aedes albopictus (21.71%); Ae. aegypti (5.54%); Ae. terrens (0.53%); Ae. fluviatilis (0.36%); Anopheles argyritarsi (0.01%); Culex quinquefasciatus (48.37%); Cx. mollis (8.88%); Cx. eduardoi (8.65%); Cx. corniger (0.61%); Cx. bigoti (0.24%); Cx. grupo coronator (0.12%); Limatus durhanii (4.61%) e Toxorhynchites sp. (0.32%). There was a drastic decrease in the Ae. aegypti population from the city limits to the rural area (x1= 21.72 ± 4.71; x2=0.00) and an increase in the population of Ae. albopictus (x1 = 15.64 ± 2.73; x2 = 38.37 ± 8.87). Aedes aegypti was not present in the collection sites located 30 km away from the urban area; however, Ae. albopictus was found in all the sites. Although the frequency rate for the Aedes aegypti was low, both species were dispersed in the rural area studied. The redimensioning of these vectors’ control areas is recommended since rural areas can function as reservoirs for these species.