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PurposeThis short communication aims to assess the situation of domestic violence against women in Brazil during social isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsWe extracted data from Google Trends showing the magnitude of searches on the topics domestic violence and complaint and then compared with the data of the complaint reports.ResultsSearches on Google containing those terms have increased while the complaints reports against domestic violence have decreased.ConclusionThe growth of searches about domestic violence and domestic violence complaints indicates the possibility of a real rise in this type of violence in Brazil.

Vancomycin-resistantEnterococcus faecium(VREfm) represent a major source of nosocomial infection worldwide. In Australia, thevanBgenotype is dominant; however there has been a recent increase in the predominantly plasmid-encodedvanAgenotype, prompting investigation into the genomic epidemiology of VREfm in this context.Materials and MethodsA cross-sectional study of VREfm in Victoria, Australia (Nov.10th- Dec.9th, 2015). A total of 321 VREfm isolates (from 286 patients) were collected and whole-genome sequenced with Illumina NextSeq. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were used to assess relatedness. Multi-locus sequence types (STs), and genes associated with resistance and virulence were identified. ThevanA-harbouring plasmid from an isolate from each ST was assembled using long-read data.ResultsvanA-VREfm comprised 17.8% of isolates. ST203, ST80 and apstS(-) clade, ST1421, predominated (30.5%, 30.5% and 37.2% ofvanA-VREfm, respectively). MostvanB-VREfm were ST796 (77.7%).vanA-VREfm isolates were closely-related within hospitals vs. between them (core SNPs 10 [interquartile range 1-357] vs. 356 [179-416] respectively), suggesting discrete introductions ofvanA-VREfm, with subsequent intra-hospital transmission. In contrast,vanB-VREfm had similar core SNP distributions within vs. between hospitals, due to widespread dissemination of ST796. Overall,vanA-harbouring plasmids differed across STs, and with exception of ST78 and ST796, Tn1546transposons also varied.ConclusionsvanA-VREfm in Victoria is associated with multiple STs, and is not solely mediated by a single shared plasmid/Tn1546transposon; clonal transmission appears to play an important role, predominantly within, rather than between, hospitals. In contrast,vanB-VREfm appears to be well-established and widespread across Victorian healthcare institutions.

O presente trabalho avaliou o perfil de anticorpos em amostras de soro de 37 pacientes com diagnóstico clínico confirmado ou compatível com leishmaniose tegumentar americana atendidos no Hospital de Clínicas da Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, MG. Os perfis das classes de imunoglobulinas e subclasses de IgG foram analisados pelo teste ELISA indireto, utilizando-se antígeno solúvel de Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis. A avidez dos anticorpos foi determinada pelo tratamento com uréia a 6 M, após incubação dos soros com o antígeno. Observou-se que 97%, 94,6%, 57,5 e 21,5% das amostras testadas apresentaram anticorpos anti-Leishmania das classes IgE, IgG, IgA e IgM, respectivamente e, os perfis das subclasses de IgG demonstraram, IgG1>IgG3>IgG2>IgG4. Os anticorpos IgE anti-Leishmania de alta avidez corresponderam a 44,4%. Por outro lado, IgG e IgA anti-Leishmania foram em sua maioria (62,8 e 47,8%, respectivamente), de média avidez. A variação do perfil de isotipos, bem como a avidez das imunoglobulinas refletiu a complexidade da resposta imune humoral contra a leishmaniose tegumentar americana.

A análise de cinco encéfalos humanos, quatro de pacientes parkinsonianos e um de controle, pela microscopia eletrônica de transmissão, evidenciou as seguintes mais freqüentes alterações: empobrecimento de fibras nervosas, grande aumento do espaço intersticial, desintegração do neurópilo e tumefação e degeneração das mitocôndrias. Com exceção das alterações mitocondriais, as demais ocorreram em todos os encéfalos dos parkinsonianos, fato não observado no caso controle, o que torna difícil atribuí-las à fixação. Traduzem, em última análise, a perda neuronal crônica. Houve, também, presença de depósitos amorfos no interior das mitocôndrias, dos axônios, do citoplasma e do espaço intersticial. Brains from four parkinsonian patients and one control patient were analysed by electron microscopy. The most consistent abnormal findings were nerve fibers rarefaction, great interstitial space enlargement, neuropil disruption, mitochondrial tumefaction and degenerative changes. These findings occurred regularly in the brain of parkinsonian patients. Furthermore, except for mitochondrial changes, they were distinctively absent in the control patient, and therefore cannot be attributed to technical problems. Contrarywise, they clearly reflect chronic neuronal loss. Also noteworthy was the demonstrative of deposits of amorphous substance into mitochondria, axons, cytoplasm and into the interstitial space.