Treatment package time in high-risk oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma: where are we failing and at what cost?

Background: The gold-standard of treatment for oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) is surgery and adjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in the sub-group of high-risk patients. In this group of patients, treatment time is an important factor in clinical outcomes. We aim to study the influence of the treatment package time (TPT).

Endothelial Function by Flow-Mediated Dilation (FMD) in the Brachial Artery in Hypertensive Patients.

Background: High blood pressure (BP) values have traditionally been associated with the risk of ischemic heart disease, stroke, chronic kidney disease, and early mortality. The brachial artery FMD after cuff deflation has become the standard parameter for quantifying endothelial function, being a useful surrogate outcome due to its non-invasiveness, close correlation with coronary endothelial function, and association with the incidence of long-term coronary events.

Objectives: To test hypotheses of correlation between the FMD and several blood parameters and to compare parameters between altered and non-altered FMD groups, and between hypertensive patients in the resistant hypertension groups (RHTN and non-RHTN).

Ancient origins and global spread of domestic cat hepatitis B virus.

Mammalian hepadnaviruses have likely been evolving alongside their hosts for millions of years. Domestic cat HBV (DCHBV) has been detected in cats from several countries, but its genealogy, epidemiology, and host range remain unclear. Besides DCHBV, the only hepadnavirus identified among carnivores is the ringtail HBV (RtHBV).

Ibero-American Consensus for the Management of Liver Metastases of Soft Tissue Sarcoma: Updated Review and Clinical Recommendations.

Liver metastases from soft tissue sarcoma (STS) (excluding gastrointestinal stromal tumors) are rare and more commonly arise from retroperitoneal and intra-abdominal primary sites. Chemotherapy remains the mainstay of treatment for disseminated disease, but its effectiveness is limited and patients typically have a dismal prognosis with short survival. However, when metastases are confined to the liver (without pulmonary involvement), some patients may benefit from local techniques, either surgical or nonsurgical, that can provide long periods of disease-free survival.

The spatiotemporal ecology of Oropouche virus across Latin America: a multidisciplinary, laboratory-based, modelling study.

Background: Latin America has been experiencing an Oropouche virus (OROV) outbreak of unprecedented magnitude and spread since 2023-24 for unknown reasons. We aimed to identify risk predictors of and areas at risk for OROV transmission.

Methods: In this multidisciplinary, laboratory-based, modelling study, we retrospectively tested anonymised serum samples collected between 2001 and 2022 for studies on virus epidemiology and medical diagnostics in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Peru with nucleoprotein-based commercial ELISAs for OROV-specific IgG and IgM antibodies.

[Practical Guidance on the Detection of NTRK Fusions in Sarcomas: Current Status and Diagnostic Challenges].

Sarcomas are a rare and heterogeneous group of mesenchymal malignant tumors and account for approximately 1% of all adult cancers and around 20% of all pediatric solid tumors in Europe. Technology advances have enabled a more accurate and efficient characterization of the molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of sarcoma subtypes and revealed novel and unexpected therapeutic targets with prognostic/predictive biomarkers, namely the neurotrophic tyrosine receptor kinase (NTRK) gene fusion. The NTRK fusion assessment has recently become a standard part of management for patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic cancers and has been identified in various tumor types.

Promising results of ultrasound guided foam sclerotherapy for treating chronic venous ulcers.

Background: Despite advances in wound care, the dressing and management of chronic ulcers on lower limbs remains unsatisfactory. The simplicity, cost effectiveness, and diverse application possibilities of ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy make it an attractive and effective approach to treat patients with no access to or contraindications to more invasive methods. We sought to evaluate the healing rate of chronic venous ulcers (Clinical, Etiological, Anatomical, Pathophysiological [CEAP] C6) in patients treated with ultrasound guided foam sclerotherapy.

RT-RPA as a dual tool for detection and phylogenetic analysis of epidemic arthritogenic alphaviruses.

Chikungunya (CHIKV), o'nyong-nyong (ONNV), and Mayaro (MAYV) viruses are transmitted by mosquitoes and known to cause a debilitating arthritogenic syndrome. These alphaviruses have emerged and re-emerged, leading to outbreaks in tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, South America, and Africa. Despite their prevalence, there persists a critical gap in the availability of sensitive and virus-specific point-of-care (POC) diagnostics.

Development of RT-RPA-based point-of-care tests for epidemic arthritogenic alphaviruses.

Chikungunya (CHIKV), o'nyong-nyong (ONNV), and Mayaro (MAYV) viruses are transmitted by mosquitoes and known to cause a debilitating arthritogenic syndrome. These alphaviruses have emerged and re-emerged, leading to outbreaks in tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, South America, and Africa. Despite their prevalence, there persists a critical gap in the availability of sensitive and virus-specific point-of-care (POC) diagnostics.

Outcomes of severely ill patients with AIDS treated with efavirenz or dolutegravir: a multicenter, observational study.

Background: Currently, integrase inhibitors (INIs)-based ART regimens are the preferred initial therapy for AIDS patients. There is scarce information on the use of dolutegravir (DTG) among late-presenter people living with HIV (PLHIV).

Objectives: To compare the effect of DTG- or efavirenz (EFV)-based regimens on the outcomes of patients with advanced AIDS.

Association between increased Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue Radiodensity and cancer mortality: Automated computation, comparison of cancer types, gender, and scanner bias.

Purpose: Body composition analysis using computed tomography (CT) is proposed as a predictor of cancer mortality. An association between subcutaneous adipose tissue radiodensity (SATr) and cancer-specific mortality was established, while gender effects and equipment bias were estimated.

Methods: 7,475 CT studies were selected from 17 cohorts containing CT images of untreated cancer patients who underwent follow-up for a period of 2.

Seroprevalence and indexes of IgG antibodies for SARS-CoV-2 infection among People Living With HIV, tuberculosis patients and healthcare workers, in Salvador, Brazil.

Introduction: COVID-19 can trigger different clinical presentations in distinct population groups, some of which are considered at higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Little is known about the susceptibility of certain populations to the infection.

Objectives: We aimed to determine the prevalence of COVID-19 among People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWH) attending a tertiary public hospital in Salvador, Brazil, patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis and Hospital's Healthcare Workers (HCW), and to compare their SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels.

Long-term outcomes of highly experienced people with HIV undergoing salvage therapy with raltegravir.

Raltegravir and other third-line drugs have shown promise in improving outcomes in treatment-experienced patients. However, the efficacy and tolerability of these agents vary. This study assessed real-life virologic success, long-term survival, and adverse events in patients receiving raltegravir or other third-line drugs as salvage regimens.

Weight gain in patients starting Dolutegravir-based ART according to baseline CD4 count after 48 weeks of follow up.

Background: Excessive weight gain is a current concern among People Living with HIV (PLHIV) starting ART.

Objectives: To evaluate the weight gain after 48-weeks of ART in naive patients, according with baseline CD4 count.

Methods: PLHIV starting 3TC + TDF + DTG with at least 48-weeks of follow up in two AIDS referral centers were stratified by baseline CD4 count (lower or higher than 200 cells/mm).

Ensuring vaccine safety: Case studies of falsified influenza vaccines detected in Brazil.

Falsifications related to health technologies-including vaccines-are a growing threat to patient safety and health systems on a global scale and can cause serious harm to the population (especially vulnerable groups). In Brazil, the manufacturing and spread of counterfeit medicines are prevented through joint actions between different government agencies. In this study, we analyzed three cases of influenza vaccines suspected of counterfeiting.

Multi-center Integrating Radiomics, Structured Reports, and Machine Learning Algorithms for Assisted Classification of COVID-19 in Lung Computed Tomography.

Purpose: To evaluate the classification performance of structured report features, radiomics, and machine learning (ML) models to differentiate between Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and other types of pneumonia using chest computed tomography (CT) scans.

Methods: Sixty-four COVID-19 subjects and 64 subjects with non-COVID-19 pneumonia were selected. The data was split into two independent cohorts: one for the structured report, radiomic feature selection and model building ( = 73), and another for model validation ( = 55).

Anorectal Function and Clinical Characteristics Associated with Faecal Incontinence in Patients with Crohn's Disease.

Background And Aims: Faecal incontinence is an important complaint reported by patients with Crohn's disease [CD] and it is associated with several disease-related mechanisms, including anorectal functional disorders. This study aimed to assess the anorectal function and clinical characteristics to identify parameters associated with faecal incontinence in CD patients.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of 104 patients with CD, aged 18 years or older, from a referral centre between August 2019 and May 2021.

Impact of Anxiety on Health-Related Quality of Life and Symptoms of Burnout in Multi-Professional Residents in Brazil During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

We aimed to determine the prevalence of anxiety and to identify associated factors among multi-professional residents in Brazil during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional study included a sample of 752 multi-professional residents selected by snowball technique. Symptoms of anxiety were measured by the Beck anxiety inventory scale (≥ 16 cut-off).

Variables associated with progression of moderate-to-severe Crohn's disease.

Objective: Determine the variables associated with hospitalisations in patients with Crohn's disease and those associated with surgery, intestinal resection, hospital readmission, need for multiple operations and immunobiological agent use.

Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted from 2019 to 2021, using two centres for inflammatory bowel diseases in the Brazilian Public Health System.

Results: This study included 220 patients.