The diagnosis of mucocutaneous leishmaniasis (MCL) is hampered by the absence of a gold standard. An accurate diagnosis is essential because of the high toxicity of the medications for the disease. This study aimed to assess the ability of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to identify MCL and to compare these results with clinical research recently published by the authors. A systematic literature review based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: the PRISMA Statement was performed using comprehensive search criteria and communication with the authors. A meta-analysis considering the estimates of the univariate and bivariate models was performed. Specificity near 100% was common among the papers. The primary reason for accuracy differences was sensitivity. The meta-analysis, which was only possible for PCR samples of lesion fragments, revealed a sensitivity of 71% [95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.59; 0.81] and a specificity of 93% (95% CI = 0.83; 0.98) in the bivariate model. The search for measures that could increase the sensitivity of PCR should be encouraged. The quality of the collected material and the optimisation of the amplification of genetic material should be prioritised.

Este artigo tem o propósito de investigar as interfaces entre gênero, cor/raça e saúde pública no Brasil, tendo como foco a importância da saúde reprodutiva para a constituição de um feminismo negro no país, entre os anos de 1975 a 1993. O feminismo negro se formou a partir das relações entre as militantes negras e os movimentos feminista e negro. O tema da saúde reprodutiva, com recorte racial, adquiriu importância na década de 1980, a partir de denúncias de esterilizações cirúrgicas entre mulheres negras. O artigo investiga o contexto em que emergiram tais denúncias e a relevância dessas para a formação de uma identidade entre as ativistas negras.

This article aims to investigate the interface between gender, color/race and public health in Brazil, focusing on the importance of reproductive health for the formation of a black feminism in the country, between the years 1975 to 1993. The black feminism was shaped from the relations between black activists and feminist and black rights movements. The topic of reproductive health, under a racial perspective, gained importance in the 1980's from reports of surgical sterilization among black women. The article investigates the context in which such allegations have emerged and their relevance to the formation of an identity among black activists.

Este trabalho é um resultado preliminar de pesquisa sobre memória e história da hanseníase, desenvolvida pela Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz) e Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), através de depoimentos de quem padeceu da doença ou atuou contra ela. Apresenta as opções metodológicas adotadas pelos autores, um sucinto histórico da hanseníase no Brasil e dados a respeito do estágio em que se encont ra a pesquisa, com extratos de depoimentos que constituem o acervo gerado. Na década de 1980 houve avanços, como a adoção do tratamento através da poliquimioterapia, que provocou a redução do índice de prevalência da doença, que passou de 16,3 casos por dez mil habitantes em 1985, para 4,57 casos para dez mil habitantes em 2000, em nosso país. A gênese e as atividades do Movimento de Reintegração das Pessoas Atingidas pela Hanseníase (Morhan) são reveladas pelos testemunhos de Thomas Frist, cientista social norte-americano que trabalhou no Brasil nas décadas de 1970 e 1980, período de reestruturação das antigas colônias, e pelode Cristiano Torres, ex-paciente, com passagens por preventórios e leprosários no Pará, personagem atuante, inclusive na proposição de políticas de controle da hanseníase.

This report is a preliminary result of a survey on memories and history of Hansen's disease, or 'hanseniasis', prepared by the Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz) and the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) using statements from those who have been afflicted by the disease or those that have fought against it. It outlines the methodology used by the authors and gives a succinct history of Hansen's disease in Brazil, together with information on the stage of the survey with extracts from our archives of statements. The founding and the role of Movement for the Reintegration of People Afflicted by Hansen's Disease (Morhan) are explained in the testimony of Thomas Frist, a social scientist who worked in Brazil in the 1970s and 1980s, when the country's old colonies were being restructured, and Cristiano Torres, a former patient who spent time in prevention centers and leproseries in Pará state and who is now active in proposing new policy for the control of Hansen's disease.