Kaposi's sarcoma is a multifocal vascular lesion of low-grade potential that is most often present in mucocutaneous sites and usually also affects lymph nodes and visceral organs. The condition may manifest through purplish lesions, flat or raised with an irregular shape, gastrointestinal bleeding due to lesions located in the digestive system, and dyspnea and hemoptysis associated with pulmonary lesions. In the early 1980s, the appearance of several cases of Kaposi's sarcoma in homosexual men was the first alarm about a newly identified epidemic, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. In 1994, it was finally demonstrated that the presence of a herpes virus associated with Kaposi's sarcoma called HHV-8 or Kaposi's sarcoma herpes virus and its genetic sequence was rapidly deciphered. The prevalence of this virus is very high (about 50%) in some African populations, but stands between 2% and 8% for the entire world population. Kaposi's sarcoma only develops when the immune system is depressed, as in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, which appears to be associated with a specific variant of the Kaposi's sarcoma herpes virus. There are no treatment guidelines for Kaposi's sarcoma established in Brazil, and thus the Brazilian Society of Clinical Oncology and the Brazilian Society of Infectious Diseases developed the treatment consensus presented here.

Relatamos o caso de um paciente de 64 anos que, ao ser submetido a uma angioplastia primária por via transradial, apresentou uma complicação grave: perfuração coronariana classe III de Ellis. O paciente evoluiu com tamponamento cardíaco e necessidade de drenagem pericárdica, sendo a perfuração selada com implante de dois stents recobertos Jomed Covered Stent Graft (JCSG; Jomed International AB, Helsingborg, Sweden), permitindo a restauração do fluxo TIMI III coronariano. O paciente recebeu alta hospitalar sete dias após o procedimento. O sucesso do procedimento no tratamento da complicação e do infarto, sem a necessidade de suporte ventilatório e hemodinâmico ou de cirurgia de revascularização miocárdica, foi alcançado devido à abordagem ter sido realizada pela técnica do duplo cateter-guia, minimizando o tempo de efusão pericárdica.

Here we reported on the case of a 64-years-old patients, who, on being submitted to primary angioplasty by trans-radial access, presented with a severe complication: Ellis Class III coronary perforation. The patient evolved with cardiac tamponade and required pericardial drainage. The perforation was sealed with the deployment of two Jomed Covered Stent Grafts (JCSG; Jomed International AB, Helsingborg, Sweden), thereby restoring TIMI III flow. The patient was released from hospital seven days after the procedure. The success of the procedure in the treatment of the complication and infarctation, without the necessity of ventilatory and hemodynamic support or revascularization surgery was achieved as the approach used a double guide catheter, thereby minimizing the time of pericardial effusion.

Passive surveillance of infectious diseases with a high percentage of asymptomatic cases or long incubation periods, such as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), does not reflect the current transmission dynamics. Thus, a multi-strategic surveillance, such as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) sentinel surveillance proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO), is necessary. The Brazilian HIV sentinel surveillance was started in May 1992 with this purpose. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the feasibility and costs of HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) surveillance using dried blood spots (DBS) collected for neonatal screening of metabolic diseases in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. This was accomplished through the comparison of HIV and HCV seroprevalence with previous Brazilian studies. From December 2001 to June 2002, 24,905 newborns were tested for HIV and 4211 for HCV. HIV seroprevalence was 0.25% and the 95% confidence interval (CI) was 0.18, 0.31%; and HCV seroprevalence was 0.71% and the 95% CI was 0.46, 0.97%. These numbers are similar to previous Brazilian studies. Cost in this study was approximately US$ 3.10 per sample, which was roughly one third of the cost of the same exam at the Brazilian HIV sentinel surveillance. We conclude that it is possible and more cost-effective to use DBS for infectious diseases surveillance, albeit it is still necessary to compare these results with the usual sentinel methodology in a concomitant trial.

This is a case report of a 29 year old male with pneumocystis pneumonia and tuberculosis, and who was initially suspected of having HIV infection, based on risk factor analyses, but was subsequently shown to be HIV negative. The patient arrived at the hospital with fever, cough, weight loss, loss of appetite, pallor, and arthralgia. In addition, he was jaundiced and had cervical lymphadenopathy and mild heptosplenomegaly. He had interstitial infiltrates of the lung, sputum smears positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Pneumocystis carinii, and stool tests were positive for Strongyloides stercoralis and Schistosoma mansoni. He was diagnosed as having AIDS, and was treated for tuberculosis, pneumocystosis, and strongyloidiasis with a good response. The patient did not receive anti-retroviral therapy, pending outcome of the HIV tests. A month later, he was re-examined and found to have worsening hepatosplenomegaly, pancytopenia, fever, and continued weight loss. At this time, it was determined that his HIV ELISA antibody tests were negative. A bone marrow aspirate was done and revealed amastigotes of leishmania, and a bone marrow culture was positive for Leishmania species. He was treated with pentavalent antimony, 20 mg daily for 20 days, with complete remission of symptoms and weight gain. This case demonstrates that immunosuppression from leishmaniasis and tuberculosis may lead to pneumocystosis, and be misdiagnosed as HIV infection. The occurrence of opportunistic infections in severely ill patients without HIV must always be considered and alternate causes of immunosuppression sought.

The objective of this study was to identify tuberculosis risk factors and possible surrogate markers among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected persons. A retrospective case-control study was carried out at the HIV outpatient clinic of the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais in Belo Horizonte. We reviewed the demographic, social-economical and medical data of 477 HIV-infected individuals evaluated from 1985 to 1996. The variables were submitted to an univariate and stratified analysis. Aids related complex (ARC), past history of pneumonia, past history of hospitalization, CD4 count and no antiretroviral use were identified as possible effect modifiers and confounding variables, and were submitted to logistic regression analysis by the stepwise method. ARC had an odds ratio (OR) of 3.5 (CI 95% - 1.2-10.8) for tuberculosis development. Past history of pneumonia (OR 1.7 - CI 95% 0.6-5.2) and the CD4 count (OR 0.4 - CI 0.2-1.2) had no statistical significance. These results show that ARC is an important clinical surrogate for tuberculosis in HIV-infected patients. Despite the need of confirmation in future studies, these results suggest that the ideal moment for tuberculosis chemoprophylaxis could be previous to the introduction of antiretroviral treatment or even just after the diagnosis of HIV infection.

CONTEXTO: Tumores do espaço parafaríngeo compreendendo menos de 0,5% dos tumores de cabeça e pescoço. A maioria destes são benignos, sendo a cirurgia necessária para tratamento e algumas vezes para diagnóstico dos pacientes. Apresentamos 26 pacientes tratados cirurgicamente no Hospital das Clínicas da UNICAMP por tumores localizados no EPF SÉRIE DE CASOS: A média de idade foi de 53 anos, sendo que dos tumores 17 (65,5%) eram benignos e, 9 (34,6%) malignos. Enfatizaremos as técnicas cirúrgicas e dados anatomopatológicos observando ainda as recidivas e sobrevida. Tumores neurogênicos (35,3%) e sarcomas de partes moles (44,5%) foram os tumores benignos e malignos mais freqüentes. Os tumores benignos apresentaram mínima morbidade cirúrgica e bom prognóstico, inversamente ao ocorrido com os malignos. A cirurgia é o tratamento de escolha para estes tumores, sendo que os malignos apresentaram pior prognóstico. Com exames de imagem, punção aspirativa por agulha fina (PAAF) ou biópsia aberta, obtivemos diagnóstico pré-operatório em todos os casos.

CONTEXT: Parapharyngeal space tumors comprise less than 0.5% of all head and neck neoplasms.1 The majority of these tumors are benign, but surgery is usually required to establish the diagnosis and treat the patients. We present 26 patients treated surgically for tumors arising in the parapharyngeal space (PPS) at the State University of Campinas Hospital – UNICAMP. CASES SERIE: Of these, 17 (65.5%) had benign and 9 (34.6%) malignant neoplasms. The surgical and pathological data relevant to these cases are highlighted, observing any local recurrence, surgical complications and the five-year survival. Neurogenic tumors and soft tissue sarcomas were, respectively, the most frequent benign (35.3%) and malignant neoplasms (44.5%). Benign tumors accounted for the majority of the cases and involved minimal surgical morbidity with no recurrence during a median follow-up of five years. Malignant tumors had a high rate of recurrence and mortality. Surgery is the treatment of choice for PPS tumors. A knowledge of the anatomy of this site is essential for the safe performance of surgical procedures. Malignant neoplasms have a poor prognosis. Fine needle aspiration was helpful in diagnosis of all tumors.