End-of-Life Costs in Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review.

Objectives: Identify the costs of an oncology patient at the end of life.

Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted by screening Embase, PubMed and Lilacs databases, including all studies evaluating end-of-life care costs for cancer patients up to March 2024. The review writing followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines.

Appendectomy: Cross-sectional study of the effects of COVID-19 in a hospital in South Brazil.

Background: COVID-19 has further burdened the Brazilian healthcare system, especially emergencies. Patients may have delayed seeking care for surgical abdominal pain. Delays in the approach may have impacted clinical evolution and outcomes.

Evaluation of Direct Medical Costs and Associated Factors Within the Last 30 days of Life of Hospitalized Cancer Patients.

An estimated 9.6 million people died from cancer globally in 2018, which is a reflection of the quality of patients' end-of-life care and its costs. To estimate direct medical costs of the last 30 days of oncology patients admitted to an inpatient clinic and to evaluate factors associated with medical costs at the end of life.

Beyond technology: Can artificial intelligence support clinical decisions in the prediction of sepsis?

Objective: To analyze the critical alarms predictors of clinical deterioration/sepsis for clinical decision making in patients admitted to a reference hospital complex.

Methods: An observational retrospective cohort study. The Machine Learning (ML) tool, Robot Laura®, scores changes in vital parameters and lab tests, classifying them by severity.

Molecular markers associated with the outcome of tamoxifen treatment in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer patients: scoping review and in silico analysis.

Tamoxifen (TMX) is used as adjuvant therapy for estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer cases due to its affinity and inhibitory effects. However, about 30% of cases show drug resistance, resulting in recurrence and metastasis, the leading causes of death. A literature review can help to elucidate the main cellular processes involved in TMX resistance.

Impact of a multifaceted strategy in end-of-life care in a tertiary hospital: A quasi-experimental study.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of a multifaceted strategy for quality end-of-life care in a tertiary public hospital in Brazil.

Methodology: The study design was quasi-experimental. The multifaceted strategy was applied between January and June 2017, and involved training the healthcare team in end-of-life discussions, the creation and documentation of advance directives, and consultation with the team specialized in palliative care.

The Relevance of Ultrastructural Studies of Metastatic Cells from Women with Breast Cancer History.

The interaction between cancer cells and the surrounding microenvironment is determinant for metastasis success. In this study, the ultrastructural relevance of cells in the malignant pleural effusion (MPE) of women with breast cancer history was investigated. In MPE, it is possible to observe single cells and clusters.

Evaluation of Antioxidant and Anticancer Activity of Lemongrass ( (D.C.) Stapf).

Cancer is considered a multifactorial disease and its development could be associated with several factors, for example, rotenone exposition. Unfortunately, many cancers are resistant to chemotherapy, as cervical cancer. Regarding this, lemongrass is a remarkable natural product that presents antioxidant and anticancer activities, which could show therapeutic action against rotenone and cervical cancer.

Handling of antineoplastic drugs: a health concern among health care workers.

Introduction: Health care professionals are part of a group that is more exposed to a wide range of sources of risk that are very harmful to their own health. Antineoplastic drugs are widely used to treat many different types of cancer and are very aggressive to both patients and health care professionals.

Objectives: To identify occupational risks and assess knowledge in health care professionals from Porto Alegre whose work involves handling antineoplastic drugs.

Superoxide imbalance triggered by Val16Ala-SOD2 polymorphism increases the risk of depression and self-reported psychological stress in free-living elderly people.

Background: Oxidative stress and chronic inflammatory states triggered by a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in superoxide dismutase manganese-dependent gene (Val16Ala-SOD2) have been associated with the risk of developing several chronic, nontransmissible diseases. However, it is still not clear whether the VV-SOD2 genotype that causes higher basal superoxide anion levels has any impact on the risk for depression and self-reported psychological stress in elderly people.

Methods: In the present study, we tested this hypothesis using a case-control study where depression was detected using the Geriatric Depression Scale-15 (GDS-15).

Follow-Up of Women with Cervical Cytological Abnormalities: Progression and Regression Events.

Abnormalities in the cervix, when identified early by Pap smear, can be treated in the early stages or in the precursor stages of the neoplasia, which may increase the chances of regression of the lesion. The aim to verify the rate of cervical abnormalities and to evaluate the risk of progression or regression associated with age and cytological diagnosis. Methods: The study was conducted in a referral hospital in Southern Brazil, based on the results of pathology and cytopathology laboratory tests of uterine cervix.

Prognostic impact of mutation, proliferative index and cell origin in diffuse large B cell lymphoma.

Background: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, among non-Hodgkin lymphomas, is one of the most frequent subtypes. Clinical laboratory data and post-treatment outcomes are scarce in the Brazilian population.

Objective: The main objective of this retrospective study was to assess the impact of tumor markers, including the Myeloid differentiation primary response 88 (MYD88) mutation.

Cell Cycle Markers in the Evaluation of Bladder Cancer.

Bladder cancer (BC) is a heterogeneous neoplasia characterized by a high number of recurrences. Standardized clinical and morphological parameters are not always sufficient to predict individual tumor behavior. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of cell cycle regulators proteins as potential adjuvant in prognosis and monitoring of this disease.

Impact of Her-2 Overexpression on Survival of Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer.

Introduction: Breast cancer is a complex and heterogeneous disease which is increasingly important as a public health problem. In Brazil, 57,960 new cases have been estimated to be the burden in 2016 and 2017. Despite advances in early diagnosis and therapy, approximately 20-30% of patients, even with early stage lesions, will develop distant metastatic disease.

Association between T102C 5-HT2A receptor gene polymorphism and 5-year mortality risk among Brazilian Amazon riparian elderly population.

Objective: Serotonin (5-HT) is a pleiotropic molecule that exerts several functions on brain and peripheral tissues via different receptors. The gene for the 5-HT2A receptor shows some variations, including a T102C polymorphism, that have been associated with increased risk of neuropsychiatric and vascular disorders. However, the potential impact of 5-HT2A imbalance caused by genetic variations on the human lifespan has not yet been established.

Superoxide-hydrogen peroxide imbalance interferes with colorectal cancer cells viability, proliferation and oxaliplatin response.

The role of superoxide dismutase manganese dependent enzyme (SOD2) in colorectal cancer is presently insufficiently understood. Some studies suggest that high SOD2 levels found in cancer tissues are associated with cancer progression. However, thus far, the role of colorectal cancer superoxide-hydrogen peroxide imbalance has not yet been studied.

Immunohistochemistry Biomarkers in Nonmuscle Invasive Bladder Cancer.

Bladder cancer (BCa) is the most frequent urinary tract neoplasm. BCa results in significant mortality when the disease presents as muscle invasive. Around 75% to 80% of patients present with nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), but recurrence and progression are significant issues, compelling current guidelines to recommend long-term surveillance.

The effect of superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide imbalance on prostate cancer: an integrative in vivo and in vitro analysis.

The epidemiological impact of SOD2 imbalance on prostate cancer (PC) risk associated with genetic variations has previously been studied. However, we found no previous studies clarifying the nature of SOD2 effects on prostate cancer. Here, we performed integrated in vivo and in vitro protocols that analyzed the association between Ala16Val-SOD2 polymorphism and prostate cancer aggressiveness at the time of diagnosis and evaluated the effect of the imbalance on PC proliferation using the DU-145 PC cell line treated with paraquat and porphyrin.

Ethics Requirement Score: new tool for evaluating ethics in publications.

Objective: To analyze ethical standards considered by health-related scientific journals, and to prepare the Ethics Requirement Score, a bibliometric index to be applied to scientific healthcare journals in order to evaluate criteria for ethics in scientific publication.

Methods: Journals related to healthcare selected by the Journal of Citation Reports™ 2010 database were considered as experimental units. Parameters related to publication ethics were analyzed for each journal.

Impact of cell arrangement of pleural effusion in survival of patients with breast cancer.

Objective: This study was performed to evaluate the potential influence of cytological differences between pleural effusions on the survival of women with metastatic breast cancer during 30 months of follow-up.

Study Design: A hospital-based cohort study was performed. Pleural fluid cytology slides from patients with breast cancer were examined.

Effects of the compounds resveratrol, rutin, quercetin, and quercetin nanoemulsion on oxaliplatin-induced hepatotoxicity and neurotoxicity in mice.

Oxaliplatin (OXA) is a platinum compound widely used in the treatment of some solid tumors, especially colorectal cancer. Despite its usefulness, oxaliplatin-associated neurotoxicity represents the main dose-limiting factor of this drug, and until now, there is no suitable treatment. Chemotherapy with oxaliplatin also increases the rate of developing hepatic damages with inflammatory activity, termed chemotherapy-associated steatohepatitis (CASH).

The role of urine cytology for 'decoy cells' as a screening tool in renal transplant recipients.

Objective: To determine the role of urine cytology for 'decoy cells' as a screening tool for polyomavirus type BK (BKV) infection in renal transplant recipients.

Study Design: This was a prospective cohort study of patients undergoing renal transplantation between 2006 and 2010.

Results: A total of 442 patients underwent urine cytology for decoy cells, 27.

Clinical and pathological factors influencing the survival of breast cancer patients with malignant pleural effusion.

Objective: The objective of this study was to identify the clinical and pathological factors that can influence the prognosis of breast cancer patients with clinical symptoms of malignant pleural effusion.

Methods: This was a clinical cohort study, in which we analyzed the medical charts of patients diagnosed with malignant pleural effusion between 2006 and 2010. By examining the charts, we identified the female patients with a history of breast cancer.

Polymorphism (ALA16VAL) correlates with regional lymph node status in breast cancer.

We studied the possible association between Ala16Val manganese-dependent superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) gene genotypes and breast cancer lymph node status because previous investigations suggested an association between the AA genotype and breast cancer. We included 281 women (188 controls and 93 cases of invasive breast cancer with axillary lymph node metastasis (LN+) and without lymph node metastasis (LN-). DNA was extracted from paraffin-embedded tumor tissue or peripheral blood leukocytes, and MnSOD polymorphism was determined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism techniques.

MnSOD gene polymorphism association with steroid-dependent cancer.

Oxidative stress enhances carcinogenesis due to DNA damage. Manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) Val16Ala polymorphism has been recently associated with breast and prostate cancer. The role of oxidative stress in male breast cancer is poorly investigated due to the low prevalence of this neoplasia.