Publications by authors named "Daniel Vitor Vasconcelos Santos"

Article Synopsis
  • The review focuses on toxoplasmosis rates in Panama and Colombia, analyzing data on seroprevalence and risk factors.
  • Studies showed seroprevalence in Ciudad de Panamá ranged from 22% to 44%, with higher rates linked to poverty and closeness to water.
  • Heat maps and mathematical models were created to pinpoint areas that need targeted healthcare campaigns for congenital toxoplasmosis and infections.
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Introduction: Bilateral acute iris transillumination (BAIT) is a relatively new syndrome whose etiopathogenesis is still not fully understood. It is characterized by acute bilateral onset of intense pigment dispersion in the anterior chamber, iris depigmentation with severe transillumination defects, accentuated pigment deposition in the angle, and elevated intraocular pressure (IOP). In literature, the first case was of bilateral acute iris depigmentation (BADI) reported in 2004 in a 77-year-old woman.

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Article Synopsis
  • The purpose of the review was to develop and assess educational materials aimed at reducing disease burdens from infections in Panama, Colombia, and the USA.
  • Recent findings indicate that educational programs in these countries have not yet been evaluated for their effectiveness, despite being implemented for various demographics like high school students and pregnant women.
  • The summary highlights that these educational materials have shown short-term benefits in disseminating information, with future goals focusing on conducting long-term studies, updating materials based on new research, and increasing access to these resources for broader public health impact.
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Prcis: Teleglaucoma is the future, but there is a need for clearer regulation by government agencies and medical entities, as well as for studies to further demonstrate the cost-effectiveness and safety of teleglaucoma strategies at a global scale.

Abstract: The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic drastically impacted global health, forcing institutions to provide alternative models of safe and reliable health care. In this context, telemedicine has been successfully used to overcome distance barriers and improve access to medical services.

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Mometasone furoate (MF) is a medium-potency synthetic glucocorticosteroid with anti-inflammatory, antipruritic, and vasoconstrictive properties. However, its role in the treatment of ocular inflammation has not yet been explored. This work investigated the anti-inflammatory activity of MF in ocular tissues.

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Introduction: Ocular toxoplasmosis is the leading cause of posterior uveitis worldwide, affecting individuals acrossdifferent age groups. The key to reducing vision loss includes prompt diagnosis and treatment. However, despite the prevalence of ocular toxoplasmosis, there has been little consensus regarding its pathophysiology,clinical features, diagnosis, and especially management.

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Purpose Of Review: Review building of programs to eliminate infections.

Recent Findings: Morbidity and mortality from toxoplasmosis led to programs in USA, Panama, and Colombia to facilitate understanding, treatment, prevention, and regional resources, incorporating student work.

Summary: Studies foundational for building recent, regional approaches/programs are reviewed.

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Article Synopsis
  • The review discusses international efforts to create a global public health initiative for toxoplasmosis, aiming to enhance maternal and child health by preventing and treating the disease.
  • Recent findings indicate that some countries are making progress in eliminating toxoplasmosis but face significant challenges.
  • Key issues include the high costs and inaccessibility of diagnostic tests and treatment, especially for marginalized communities, as well as delays in essential medical procedures and insurance processes.
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Uveitis is a group of sight-threatening ocular inflammatory disorders, whose mainstay of therapy is associated with severe adverse events, prompting the investigation of alternative treatments. The peptide melittin (MEL) is the major component of bee venom and presents anti-inflammatory and antiangiogenic activities, with possible application in ophthalmology. This work aims to investigate the potential of intravitreal MEL in the treatment of ocular diseases involving inflammatory processes, especially uveitis.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to explore antibiotic resistance and the clinical characteristics of microbial keratitis by reviewing patient data from 2015 to 2019.
  • A total of 380 pathogens were identified, predominantly Staphylococcus species (45%), with findings showing that gram-positive bacteria had some resistance to ciprofloxacin, while all gram-negative isolates were susceptible to amikacin.
  • The patient demographic indicated a mean age of 53 years, predominantly male, with 61.2% requiring hospitalization due to complications like corneal perforations and endophthalmitis; most received empirical treatment with moxifloxacin.
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We report three cases of refractory chronic endophthalmitis after cataract surgery presenting to a referral center, and with repeated negative cultures. Initial treatment consisted of intravitreal and systemic antibiotics, with partial improvement. After subsequent worsening, pars plana vitrectomy, intraocular lens explantation and en bloc capsulectomy were performed.

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Purpose: To describe and illustrate the main optical coherence tomography (OCT) findings of infectious uveitis.

Methods: Narrative review.

Results: Posterior segment OCT in patients with infectious uveitis reveals posterior hyaloid face precipitates, superficial retinal precipitates and infiltrates, foveolitis, retinitis, neuro-retinitis, choroidal granulomas, and choroiditis as main imaging biomarkers.

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Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a member of the Herpesviridae family, including viruses that are well-known agents of keratitis, anterior uveitis, scleritis and retinitis. CMV is usually associated with ocular diseases in immunosuppressed individuals, with a notable exception of hypertensive anterior uveitis with distinctive clinical features in immunocompetent patients. This syndrome was characterized in the last two decades in Europe and Southeast Asia, and then documented in the rest of world.

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Purpose: The high prevalence and severity of congenital toxoplasmosis in Brazil, with several affected individuals progressing to low vision, emphasize the importance of evaluating their quality of life. In this study, the Children's Visual Function Questionnaire (CVFQ) was adapted to the sociocultural context of Brazilian children, and its psychometric properties were investigated for evaluating the vision-related quality of life of these individuals.

Methods: This was a nested cross-sectional epidemiological study that prospectively monitored a cohort of 142 preschool children at a single referral university hospital in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

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Changes in immune response of children with congenital toxoplasmosis (CT) regarding infection evolution and therapeutic intervention was addressed. Infants with CT presented increased counts of monocytes, CD3CD16CD56, CD3CD56 and CD4 T-cells 1-year after treatment onset (TOXO). Smaller numbers of CD3CD16CD56 and TCRγδ T-cells were specifically observed in infants with retinochoroidal lesions (L(+)).

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Lupeol is a pentacyclic triterpene with known anti-inflammatory effects. However, its role in the treatment of noninfectious uveitis has not been explored. This work investigated anti-inflammatory activity of lupeol in ocular tissues with in vitro and in vivo models.

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Purpose: To investigate visual-related quality of life (VRQL) and prevalence and severity of depressive symptoms in Brazilian individuals with toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis (TRC).

Design: Comparative observational cross-sectional study. The National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire-25 (NEI-VFQ-25) and Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) were applied to respectively assess VRQL and depression in individuals consecutively seen at a uveitis referral center.

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Non-infectious uveitis, an ocular inflammatory condition that affects the iris, ciliary body, choroid, and adjacent tissues (retina, optic nerve, and vitreous), is an important cause of blindness worldwide. Sirolimus (SRL), a potent immunomodulatory drug, has shown promising results in the treatment of inflammatory ocular diseases. Despite this therapeutic potential, its clinical use is a major challenge due to low bioavailability and poor solubility.

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Diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis (DUSN) is a rare ocular infectious disease caused by migrating larvae of a nematode. DUSN is often a diagnostic challenge as it is difficult to identify the pathogenic nematode on funduscopic examination because it moves frequently and often resides within the subretinal space. Herein, the authors present a patient with unilateral, chronic visual loss who was noted to have a live, motile worm within the vitreous cavity.

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In 2015, an outbreak of presumed waterborne toxoplasmosis occurred in Gouveia, Brazil. We conducted a 3-year prospective study on a cohort of 52 patients from this outbreak, collected clinical and multimodal imaging findings, and determined risk factors for ocular involvement. At baseline examination, 12 (23%) patients had retinochoroiditis; 4 patients had bilateral and 2 had macular lesions.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on ophthalmology. This review compiles general aspects of the novel coronavirus and COVID-19, further dissects the most recent data on the role of the eye regarding disease transmission and manifestations, and summarizes preventive measures in the particular context of eye care.

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In the present study we have evaluated the performance of several immunological biomarkers for early diagnosis and prognosis of congenital toxoplasmosis. Our results showed that ex vivo serum levels of CXCL9, and the frequencies of circulating CD4CD25 T-cells and T. gondii-specific IFN-γCD4 T-cells measured 30-45 days after birth presented high accuracy to distinguish T.

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