Physical activity levels during COVID-19 pandemic and its associated factors in patients with Chagas disease.

Background: A better understanding of the consequences of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on lifestyle of patients with Chagas disease (ChD) is of paramount importance to facilitate the implementation of intervention strategies tailored to this specific population.

Objective: The present study aimed to evaluate the level of physical activity (PA) in Chagas disease (ChD) patients during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and its main associated factors.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study with 187 patients of both sexes, aged ≥18 years, followed in a national infectious disease center (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil).

A guide for the generation of repositories of clinical samples for research on Chagas disease.

Chagas disease, caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, affects over 6 million people, mainly in Latin America. Two different clinical phases, acute and chronic, are recognised. Currently, 2 anti-parasitic drugs are available to treat the disease (nifurtimox and benznidazole), but diagnostic methods require of a relatively complex infrastructure and trained personnel, limiting its widespread use in endemic areas, and the access of patients to treatment.

A standardized clinical database for research in Chagas disease: The NHEPACHA network.

The NHEPACHA Iberoamerican Network, founded on the initiative of a group of researchers from Latin American countries and Spain, aims to establish a research framework for Chagas disease that encompasses diagnosis and treatment. For this purpose, the network has created a questionnaire to gather relevant data on epidemiological, clinical, diagnostic, and therapeutic aspects of the disease. This questionnaire was developed based on a consensus of expert members of the network, with the intention of collecting high-quality standardized data, which can be used interchangeably by the different research centers that make up the NHEPACHA network.

How do we classify organ involvement in Chagas disease? A systematic review of organ involvement since 1909, Highlighting the urgent need for a universal classification system in Chronic Chagas disease.

Chagas disease (CD) is recognized as one of the 20 neglected tropical diseases by the World Health Organization (WHO), posing a significant global health challenge. The objective of this work was to conduct a systematic methodology review to explore the different classifications used to describe the presence and degree of organ involvement in patients with CD since the disease's description in 1909. We searched relevant electronic medical databases from their inception dates to July 2023.

Drug screening and development cascade for Chagas disease: an update of in vitro and in vivo experimental models.

Chagas disease is a tropical neglected disease that affects millions of people worldwide, still demanding a more effective and safer therapy, especially in its chronic phase which lacks a treatment that promotes substantial parasitological cure. The technical note of Romanha and collaborators published in 2010 aimed establish a guideline with the set of minimum criteria and decision gates for the development of new agents against Trypanosoma cruzi with the focus on developing new antichagasic drugs. In this sense, the present review aims to update this technical note, bringing the state of the art and new advances on this topic in recent years.

Chagas heart disease is associated with decreased physical activity levels: A cross-sectional analysis.

Background: Studies evaluating physical activity (PA) levels in individuals with Chagas disease (CD) are still scarce. The present study aimed to evaluate PA levels in CD individuals and examine their association with Chagas heart disease (ChHD).

Methods: We included patients with CD regularly followed in a reference center for treatment of infectious diseases.

Effect of an exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation program on quality of life of patients with chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy: results from the PEACH randomized clinical trial.

To investigate the effect of an exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation program on the quality of life (QoL) of patients with chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy (CCC). PEACH study was a single-center, superiority randomized clinical trial of exercise training versus no exercise (control). The sample comprised Chagas disease patients with CCC, left ventricular ejection fraction < 45%, without or with HF symptoms (CCC stages B2 or C, respectively).

Inspiratory muscle endurance is similarly reduced in the early and late stages of chronic Chagas heart disease.

Objective: Inspiratory muscle strength (IMS) appears to be reduced in subjects with chronic Chagas heart disease (CHD), especially in the presence of heart failure (HF). However, only one study about IMS and inspiratory muscle endurance (IME) in those with CHD without heart failure is available. This study aimed to compare IMS and IME in subjects with CHD in the presence and absence of HF.

Interesting case from Argentina: Kidney transplant recipient with skin lesions-A Latin American perspective.

This is a case of a kidney transplant recipient who presented with skin lesions, low-grade fevers, and pancytopenia 2 months after his transplant.

Exploring the Historical Background and Clinical Implications of Electrocardiogram in the Context of Chagas Disease Research.

Chagas disease (CD) remains one of the most significant endemic diseases in Latin America. Approximately 30% of individuals with CD develop the cardiac form, the main determinant of morbidity and mortality, which is characterized by typical electrocardiogram (ECG) changes caused by chronic chagasic cardiopathy (CCC). This review accentuates to how crucial it is for research teams and reference centers that treat patients with CD to standardize ECG in CCC.

Inspiratory Muscle Strength in Chagas Cardiomyopathy: A Systematic Scoping Review.

The increase in inflammatory markers associated with persistent chronic fibrosing myocarditis, a characteristic of chronic Chagas disease, can result in a reduction in inspiratory muscle strength (IMS) in Chagas cardiomyopathy (CC). However, literature in this field is still scarce. This review aimed to map and summarize the evidence regarding IMS in patients with CC.

Validation of the NAT Chagas IVD Kit for the Detection and Quantification of in Blood Samples of Patients with Chagas Disease.

In the absence of validated biomarkers to control the cure of Chagas disease, PCR-based diagnosis is being used as the main tool for an early indication of therapeutic failure. However, since it is considered a technique of complex reproducibility, mainly due to difficulties in establishing accurate controls to guarantee the quality of the reaction, the use of PCR for Chagas disease diagnosis is restricted to specialized centers. In an effort to disseminate the molecular diagnosis of Chagas disease and its applications, new diagnostic kits based on qPCR have been made available in the market in recent years.

Biomarkers and Echocardiographic Predictors of Cardiovascular Outcome in Patients With Chronic Chagas Disease.

Background Chagas disease (CD) presents an ominous prognosis. The predictive value of biomarkers and new echocardiogram parameters in adjusted models have not been well studied. Methods and Results There were 361 patients with chronic CD (57.

Correction: Clinical profile and mortality in patients with T. cruzi/HIV co-infection from the multicenter data base of the "Network for healthcare and study of Trypanosoma cruzi/HIV co-infection and other immunosuppression conditions".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.

The association between variables of cardiopulmonary exercise test and quality of life in patients with chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy (Insights from the PEACH STUDY).

Studies investigating the association between functional capacity and quality of life (QoL) in individuals with chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy (CCC) usually do not include a gold-standard evaluation of functional capacity, limiting the validity and the interpretation of the results. The present study is a cross-section analysis aiming to evaluate the association between functional capacity (quantified by cardiopulmonary exercise test [CPET]) and QoL in individuals with CCC. QoL was assessed using the SF-36 questionnaire.

Epidemiological-clinical profile and mortality in patients coinfected with Trypanosoma cruzi/HIV: experience from a Brazilian reference center.

Background: The recent urbanization of Chagas disease (CD) has contributed to a greater risk of coexistence with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and AIDS.

Methods: This retrospective observational study included patients who were followed at INI-Fiocruz between July 1986 and October 2021. All patients underwent an assessment protocol that included sociodemographic profile, epidemiological history, and clinical evaluation.

The association of exercise test variables with long-term mortality in patients with chronic Chagas disease.

Background: The identification of variables obtained in the exercise test (ET) associated with increased risk of death is clinically relevant and would provide additional information for the management of Chagas disease (CD). The objective of the present study was to evaluate the association of ET variables with mortality in patients with chronic CD.

Methods: This retrospective longitudinal observational study included 232 patients (median age 46.

Corrigendum: Impact of COVID-19 in-hospital mortality in chagas disease patients.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2022.