Publications by authors named "Abreu V"

Background: The evaluation of lumbar spine degeneration on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is prone to inter-reader variability, including when assessing foraminal changes. This variability, often due to subjective criteria and inconsistent terminology, may affect clinical correlations. Standardized criteria could help improve agreement among readers.

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Background: cashew nut is an almond known for its cardiovascular benefits in adults and weight gain effects in malnourished children, as supported by research. However, its impact on overweight children remains unexplored.

Objective: to analyze the effect of consuming biscuits made with cashew nut flour on the blood glucose and serum triglyceride levels of children with overweight/obesity over four weeks.

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Marchiafava-Bignami disease (MBD) is a rare neurological disorder predominantly associated with chronic alcohol use, characterized by demyelination and necrosis of the corpus callosum. The condition often presents with cognitive dysfunction, motor deficits, and altered consciousness, which can range from mild confusion to severe stupor. Early recognition and treatment are crucial for improving outcomes.

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Introduction: Recent studies have demonstrated an association between hypoglycemic medications and neuroprotective action in neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease (PD). Therefore, in this meta-analysis, our objective was to evaluate the efficacy of these medications, compared to placebo, as disease-modifying therapy in patients with PD.

Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane for studies comparing the use of hypoglycemic drugs and placebo in patients with PD.

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Article Synopsis
  • Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy can lead to serious complications, prompting the need for medication such as hydralazine and labetalol to lower blood pressure.
  • A systematic review of 19 randomized controlled trials compared the effectiveness and safety of intravenous labetalol versus hydralazine in managing these conditions.
  • The findings indicated no significant differences in blood pressure outcomes between the two medications, but labetalol was found to significantly reduce instances of maternal hypotension compared to hydralazine.
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Background: The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) scale assesses the severity of temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD), yet a European Portuguese translation is lacking.

Objectives: To translate, cross-culturally adapt and to examine the psychometric properties (construct validity and reliability) of the TMJ scale.

Methods: Translation and cultural adaptation were carried out according to international recommendations, including initial translation, evaluation of this translation and cultural adaptation by a panel of experts, and back translation.

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Depression and anxiety frequently co-occur with opioid use disorder (OUD) yet are often overlooked in standard OUD treatments. This study evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of a mobile application designed to address these symptoms in individuals receiving medications for OUD (MOUD). A randomized controlled trial recruited N = 63 adults with OUD who received MOUD and screened positive for moderate depression or generalized anxiety.

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  • This study evaluated lipid profile abnormalities in 169 children aged 6 to 42 months in a Brazilian city, finding that 85% had dyslipidemia.
  • Key findings showed high prevalence of low HDL-c (72%), increased triglycerides (49%), and high LDL-c (17%), with body mass index (BMI) and age linked to these lipid issues.
  • The study concluded that higher caloric and cholesterol intake, along with greater age and BMI, are associated with worse lipid profiles in early childhood.
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Exploring the intricate relationships between plants and their resident microorganisms is crucial not only for developing new methods to improve disease resistance and crop yields but also for understanding their co-evolutionary dynamics. Our research delves into the role of the phyllosphere-associated microbiome, especially Actinomycetota species, in enhancing pathogen resistance in Theobroma grandiflorum, or cupuassu, an agriculturally valuable Amazonian fruit tree vulnerable to witches' broom disease caused by Moniliophthora perniciosa. While breeding resistant cupuassu genotypes is a possible solution, the capacity of the Actinomycetota phylum to produce beneficial metabolites offers an alternative approach yet to be explored in this context.

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Article Synopsis
  • This study investigates how plasma brain-derived tau (BD-Tau) can predict outcomes for patients with acute ischemic stroke who undergo endovascular therapy (EVT), potentially improving prognosis after EVT trials initiated in 2015.
  • Two independent patient cohorts with large vessel occlusion were analyzed, measuring various plasma biomarkers pre- and post-EVT, with 90-day functional outcomes assessed using standardized scales.
  • Results show that while GFAP was strong for early imaging outcomes, BD-Tau was more effective for predicting long-term functional recovery, leading to the development of a predictive model that proved effective across both cohorts.
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Background: Theobroma grandiflorum (Malvaceae), known as cupuassu, is a tree indigenous to the Amazon basin, valued for its large fruits and seed pulp, contributing notably to the Amazonian bioeconomy. The seed pulp is utilized in desserts and beverages, and its seed butter is used in cosmetics. Here, we present the sequenced telomere-to-telomere genome of cupuassu, disclosing its genomic structure, evolutionary features, and phylogenetic relationships within the Malvaceae family.

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: Evaluate osteoarthritis incidence in patients that undergone ACL reconstruction using the transtibial technique, with a minimum of 5 years of follow up, with isolated ACL injury. : Patients who underwent ACL reconstruction by the same surgeon using the transtibial technique with hamstrings graft and with a minimum of 5 years of follow-up, without other injuries during the surgical procedure, were selected to undergo imaging exams of the operated knee to assess the incidence of osteoarthritis. The obtained data were evaluated by descriptive statistics.

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Background: Pregnancy induces physiological changes, commonly marked by nausea and vomiting in the first trimester, posing risks for both mother and baby. This study evaluates the effects of auriculotherapy on nausea and vomiting during the first trimester of pregnancy.

Materials And Methods: A randomized clinical trial was conducted in two primary health care centers with 56 Brazilian pregnant women who reported nausea or vomiting in the first trimester.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study assesses the efficacy of dynamic susceptibility contrast-enhanced (DSC) MRI parameters in differentiating between primary CNS lymphoma (PCNSL), glioblastoma, and metastasis in brain tumors.
  • A cohort of 39 patients was analyzed, focusing on five DSC parameters: relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV), percentage of signal recovery (PSR), and others, to evaluate their diagnostic performance.
  • Results indicated that rCBV was highly effective in distinguishing metastasis and glioblastoma from PCNSL, while PSR also showed significant differences, particularly identifying metastatic tumors compared to glioblastoma.
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Nasal obstruction (NO) is a common clinical symptom characterized by a subjective sensation of insufficient airflow through the nasal cavity and may result from various factors, including changes in nasal anatomy, inflammatory conditions, tumoral lesions, and other etiologies. While a thorough medical history and physical examination can often identify its cause, imaging is usually necessary to fully understand the problem. Computed tomography (CT) is the primary imaging modality used to evaluate the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses, allowing for the identification of potential causes and structural abnormalities.

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Skull lesions in pediatric population are common findings on imaging and sometimes with heterogeneous manifestations, constituting a diagnostic challenge. Some lesions can be misinterpreted for their aggressiveness, as with larger lesions eroding cortical bone, containing soft tissue components, leading to excessive and, in some cases, invasive inappropriate etiological investigation. In this review, we present multiple several conditions that may present as skull lesions or pseudolesions, organized by groups (anatomic variants, congenital and development disorders, traumatic injuries, vascular issues, infectious conditions, and tumoral processes).

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The genus Psittacanthus (Loranthaceae) is widely distributed in the Neotropical region, where it is known for its large, colourful, scentless flowers. Until very recently, all Psittacanthus species were regarded as exclusively hummingbird-pollinated and the large species radiation in the genus attributed to the interactions with bird dispersers and pollinators. P.

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Article Synopsis
  • The eye-of-the-tiger sign is characterized by distinct changes in the globus pallidus on T2-weighted MRI, typically associated with pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration (PKAN) but not exclusive to it.
  • Although primarily linked to PKAN, similar MRI findings can occur in other conditions, including cerebellar ataxia with neuropathy and vestibular areflexia syndrome (CANVAS), which is associated with a specific genetic mutation.
  • This report presents two CANVAS cases that also exhibited the (pseudo-)eye-of-the-tiger sign, suggesting that this imaging characteristic may have multiple potential diagnoses.
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Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an autosomal recessive haemoglobinopathy, which manifests as multisystem ischaemia and infarction, as well as haemolytic anaemia. The morphological changes of red blood cells (RBCs) that promote ischaemia/infarction as the main multi-systemic manifestation, with associated vasculopathy, may also lead to haemorrhage and fat embolisation. Bone infarctions, whether of the skull or spine, are relatively common with subsequent increased infectious susceptibility.

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CLCN2-related leukoencephalopathy is a rare autosomal-recessive disease caused by a loss-of-function mutation in the ClC-2 chloride channel, which is fundamental in ion and water brain homeostasis. With only 31 cases published in the literature, its precise pathophysiology is uncertain, clinical manifestations are nonspecific and little is known in terms of prognosis. Neuroimaging plays a fundamental role in the identification of CLCN2-related leukoencephalopathy, which has a typical magnetic resonance imaging pattern that, when recognized, should promote proper genetic study for diagnostic confirmation.

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This study aimed to develop sweet-and-sour sauces with partial substitution of tomato for avocado. Four sauces formulations containing 0%, 25%, 50%, and 75% avocado pulp were prepared. The pH, titratable acidity (TA), sugar: acid ratio, color, consistency, and syneresis analyses were performed.

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Adherence to secondary prevention measures after acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is essential to prevent disease recurrence. In Brazil, the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS, in Portuguese), and the private healthcare system (PHCS) coexist. We aimed to evaluate the adherence to secondary prevention in patients with ACS who were assisted by either SUS or PHCS.

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