Association between the radiological presentation and elapsed time for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis in the emergency department of a university hospital.

Objective: To evaluate the radiological presentation of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis diagnosed in the emergency department and to investigate its association with the time to diagnosis.

Methods: This was a prospective observational study involving patients diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis in the emergency department of a tertiary university hospital in southern Brazil. Chest X-rays taken on admission were evaluated by a radiologist.

Characterization of posterior leakage in swallowing.

Purpose: To describe and characterize a finding, i.e., delayed posterior leakage of food residue during swallowing, according to age, gender and food consistency, which occurred in the event.

The effects of gene polymorphisms on susceptibility to acute GVHD and survival of allogeneic HSCT recipients: IL-10 gene polymorphisms as a more accessible target to predict prognosis.

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is a therapeutic modality commonly used to treat hematological and immunological disorders. Among the main complications of allo-HSCT is the acute graft-versus-host disease (a-GVHD), a condition which accounts for a high incidence of mortality. Several genes encoding inflammatory mediators may present polymorphisms, which have been implicated in the risk of developing a-GVHD.

Validation of Content and Reliability of the Protocol for the Evaluation of Acquired Speech Disorders in Individuals with Parkinson's Disease (PADAF).

Purpose: To develop a protocol for the evaluation of acquired speech disorders in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PADAF) and to validate its content and determine its inter-judge reliability.

Methods: The study was carried out in three stages: in the first one, the protocol was prepared and its content validated through the analysis of seven specialists; in the second, the instrument was applied to 25 individuals with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD); in the third and last stage, the inter-judge reliability was determined.

Results: The final version of PADAF consisted of 32 items that evaluated breathing, phonation, resonance, articulation, and prosody.

Superiority of the triple combination of bortezomib, cyclophosphamide and dexamethasone versus cyclophosphamide, thalidomide and dexamethasone in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma, eligible for transplantation.

Background: The treatment of multiple myeloma (MM) has evolved significantly in the past decade, and new drug combinations have improved the response rates and prolonged survival. Studies comparing different induction chemotherapy regimens have shown that triple combinations have better results than double combinations. However, comparisons among different triple combinations are rare in the literature.

Correlations among algometry, the visual analogue scale, and the numeric rating scale to assess chronic pelvic pain in women.

Objective: To investigate the correlation between the numerical rating scale, visual analogue scale, and pressure threshold by algometry in women with chronic pelvic pain.

Study Design: This was a cross-sectional study. We included 47 patients with chronic pelvic pain.

In vitro effect of globotriaosylceramide on electron transport chain complexes and redox parameters.

Fabry disease (FD) is an X-linked inherited disease and occurs due to mutations in GLA gene that encodes the α-galactosidase enzyme. Consequently, there is an accumulation of enzyme substrates, namely globotriaosylceramide (GB3). FD is a multisystemic disease, caused by storage of GB3 in vascular endothelia, with significant renal, cardiac and vascular involvement.

Molecular characterization of a large group of Mucopolysaccharidosis type IIIC patients reveals the evolutionary history of the disease.

Mucopolysaccharidosis type IIIC (MPSIIIC) is a severe, rare autosomal recessive disorder caused by variants in the heparan-α-glucosaminide N-acetyltransferase (HGSNAT) gene which result in lysosomal accumulation of heparan sulfate. We analyzed clinical presentation, molecular defects and their haplotype context in 78 (27 novel) MPSIIIC cases from 22 countries, the largest group studied so far. We describe for the first time disease-causing variants in the patients from Brazil, Algeria, Azerbaijan, and Iran, and extend their spectrum within Canada, Colombia, Turkey, and the USA.

Prevalence of Vitamin D Depletion, and Associated Factors, among Patients Undergoing Bariatric Surgery in Southern Brazil.

Background: Hypovitaminosis D is common, before and after gastric bypass surgery. The prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in a large group of candidates for bariatric surgery in Brazil and South America has not been studied.

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of hypovitaminosis D and associated factors in patients undergoing bariatric surgery in Southern Brazil.

Admission hypothermia, neonatal morbidity, and mortality: evaluation of a multicenter cohort of very low birth weight preterm infants according to relative performance of the center.

This prospective cohort study aimed to assess the association of admission hypothermia (AH) with death and/or major neonatal morbidities among very low birth weight (VLBW) preterm infants based on the relative performance of 20 centers of the Brazilian Network of Neonatal Research. This is a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data using the database registry of the Brazilian Network on Neonatal Research. Center performance was defined by the relative mortality rate using conditional inference trees.

Effect of vaporized perfluorocarbon on oxidative stress during the cold ischemia phase of lung graft preservation.

Liquid perfluorocarbon (PFC) instillation has been studied experimentally as an adjuvant therapy in the preservation of lung grafts during cold ischemia. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether vaporized PFC is also protective of lung grafts at different cold ischemia times. We performed histological analysis of and measured oxidative stress in the lungs of animals that received only preservation solution with low-potassium dextran (LPD) or vaporized PFC together with LPD.

Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effect of melatonin on recovery from muscular trauma induced in rats.

In recent decades, the number of people who practice sports has grown exponentially, increasing the number of muscular injuries. Trauma injury occurs when the muscle is exposed to a sudden compression force. Melatonin (MLT) has often been cited in the literature as a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent.

IL-17 blood levels increase in healthy pregnancy but not in spontaneous abortion.

Cytokines are essential to maintain and coordinate the correct activity of immune cells during human pregnancy. IL-17 is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that induces the expression of many inflammatory mediators. The aim of this study was to compare the levels of Th1, Th2 and Th17 cytokines of women ongoing normal pregnancy with those found in women who suffered spontaneous abortion.

Dietary Patterns in Secondary Prevention of Heart Failure: A Systematic Review.

Background: Diet is an important factor in secondary prevention of heart failure (HF) but there is still no consensus as to which dietary model should be adopted by this population. This systematic review aims to clarify the relationship between dietary patterns and secondary prevention in HF.

Methods: We searched the Medline, Embase and Cochrane databases for studies with different dietary patterns and outcomes of secondary prevention in HF.

Non-Answered Questions in Patients with Endobronchial Valve Placement for Lung Volume Reduction.

Endoscopic lung volume reduction is a minimally invasive procedure performed to reduce the space occupied by the emphysemas' lobes. This procedure has been demonstrated to be beneficial for patients with advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and severe hyperinflation. The use of endobronchial valves is increasing, as well as the number of reports of adverse events.

CCR5Δ32 in HCV infection, HCV/HIV co-infection, and HCV-related diseases.

Although a potential involvement of the CCR5Δ32 variant has already been suggested in relation to susceptibility to hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, data from the literature is still quite controversial. Thus, our study evaluated the influence of the CCR5Δ32 allele variant in HCV infection, HCV/HIV co-infection, and HCV-related diseases in individuals from southern Brazil. A total of 1352 individuals were included in this study, divided into the following groups: Control (n = 274); HCV+ (n = 674); HIV+ (n = 300); HCV+/HIV+ (n = 104).

Mediterranean Diet and Other Dietary Patterns in Primary Prevention of Heart Failure and Changes in Cardiac Function Markers: A Systematic Review.

Background: Heart failure (HF) is a complex syndrome and is recognized as the ultimate pathway of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Studies using nutritional strategies based on dietary patterns have proved to be effective for the prevention and treatment of CVD. Although there are studies that support the protective effect of these diets, their effects on the prevention of HF are not clear yet.

The encephalogram as a risk predictive test for work at height.

Background: Regulating standard 35 (NR-35) defines work at height as "any activity performed two meters above from ground level and involving risk of falls" and recommends the performance of medical examination to detect "conditions that might cause sudden loss of consciousness and falls from heights". As a result many occupational physicians began to recommend routine electroencephalogram (EEG) to assess employees working at height. However, the validity of EEG for asymptomatic workers is uncertain.

Factors associated with malnutrition in adolescent and adult patients with cystic fibrosis.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of malnutrition in patients attending an adult cystic fibrosis (CF) program and to investigate the associations of malnutrition with the clinical characteristics of those patients.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study involving patients with clinically stable CF patients (16 years of age or older). The patients underwent clinical assessment, nutritional assessments, pulmonary function tests, and pancreatic function assessment.

Estimating the direct costs of ischemic heart disease: evidence from a teaching hospital in BRAZIL, a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Coronary artery disease is the most prevalent cardiovascular disease. In the United States, 7% of adults over 20 years of age are estimated to have coronary artery disease. In Brazil, a prevalence of 5 to 8% has been estimated in adults over 40 years of age, with an increased number of hospitalizations associated with both stable and acute clinical manifestations; and health care costs have quadrupled in the last decade.

Protective effect of glutamine on the main and adjacent organs damaged by ischemia-reperfusion in rats.

Intestinal ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) causes cellular and tissue damage to the intestine and remote organs such as the liver. Increased production of ROS and nitric oxide and dysregulation of cytoprotective enzymes may be involved in intestinal I/R. The aim was to evaluate the protective effects of glutamine on the intestine and liver of rats with intestinal I/R injury.

"Why throw away something useful?": Attitudes and opinions of people treated for bipolar disorder and their relatives on organ and tissue donation.

In regard to mental illness, brain donation is essential for the biological investigation of central pathology. Nevertheless, little is known about the thoughts of people with mental disorders on tissue donation for research. Here, our objective was to understand the attitudes and opinions of people treated for bipolar disorder and their relatives regarding donation in general, and particularly donation for research.

Mobile genetic elements related to carbapenem resistance in Acinetobacter baumannii.

Acinetobacter baumannii is widely recognized as an important pathogen associated with nosocomial infections. The treatment of these infections is often difficult due to the acquisition of resistance genes. A.