AbstractBACKGROUND:Cutaneous melanoma (CM) is considered serious for causing frequent metastasis, presenting high mortality, resistance to available therapies and incidences in laboring activity.OBJECTIVES:To study the histopathological types of cutaneous melanoma in Palmas-TO from 2001 to 2011, according to risk factors, location of lesions, Clark levels and Breslow thickness.METHODS:A descriptive, retrospective and quantitative research in reports of the Serviços de Anatomia Patológica in Palmas (SAPP) and Registro de Câncer de Base Populacional de Palmas (RCBPP).RESULTS:The years of highest incidences were: 2004 (8 cases/17.8%), 2008 and 2011 (7 cases each/15.6%) and 2010 (6 cases/13.3%). Among the 45 cases studied, there were predominance in patients between 41 and 60 years old, women, caucasians, farmers, located in trunk, in situ type, superficial extensive and metastatic cutaneous, Clark levels I (20%) and IV (17.7%), Breslow thickness ≤1 mm (35.5%) and 2.01 to 4 mm (24.4%).CONCLUSIONS:The most common histopathological types were: cutaneous melanoma in situ, superficial extensive and metastatic, followed by nodular cutaneous melanoma, and finally, by other forms. In this study, Clark levels and Breslow thickness pointed to greater importance of thin melanomas and sun exposure without appropriate protection in farmers.

Introduction: This study aimed to describe the main features of visceral leishmaniasis (VL), both related to and independent of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, in patients who were registered in Tocantins, Brazil. Methods: Data from 1,779 new patients with VL, 33 of whom were also infected with HIV, were reviewed. Results: The incidence of VL/HIV coinfection increased from 0.32/100,000 inhabitants in 2007 to 1.08/100,000 inhabitants in 2010. VL occurred predominantly in children aged 10 years or younger, while VL/HIV was more common in patients aged between 18 and 50 years. There were more male patients in the VL/HIV group than in the VL group. Relapse rates were also considerably higher in the VL/HIV (9.1%) group than in the VL group (1.5%). Despite a similar clinical presentation, VL/HIV patients exhibited a higher proportion (24.2%) of concomitant infectious diseases and jaundice. Pentavalent antimonials were used for the initial treatment of VL and VL/HIV infections. However, amphotericin B deoxycholate and liposomal amphotericin B were also widely used in the treatment of VL/HIV coinfection. The mortality rate was higher in the VL/HIV coinfection group (19.4%) than in the VL group (5.4%). Furthermore, the mortality rate due to other causes was significantly higher in the VL/HIV group (12.9%) than in the VL group (0.7%). Conclusions: The study showed that the incidence, clinical characteristics and outcomes among the VL and VL/HIV patients in this state are similar to those from other endemic regions, indicating that both infections are emerging with increasing frequency in Brazil.

Visceral leishmaniasis is a relevant public health problem worldwide. Most of the reported cases in Latin America are from Brazil. Herein we report two human cases of congenitally transmitted visceral leishmaniasis in two patients who developed symptoms during pregnancy. The diagnosis was made by visual examination of Leishmania parasites in bone marrow aspirates of the mothers and by detecting parasite kDNA in bone marrow samples of the newborn children using polymerase chain reaction.