The Relationship of HbA1c Serum Levels with the Severity of Periodontal Disease in Patients with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Objective:  According to the evidence, the level of glycemic control is of key importance in determining the increased risk of periodontal disease (PD). The aim of the study was to evaluate the role of metabolic control as a key factor leading to the development and severity of periodontitis and compare the periodontal and oral hygiene status with the glycated hemoglobin levels.

Materials And Methods:  The evaluation was undertaken with diabetic patients (59 uncontrolled diabetics and 36 controlled diabetics) from a patient cohort of the Hospitalar Center of Tâmega e Sousa and subjects without diabetes ( = 95).

Survival Analysis in Adult Heart Transplantation: Experience from a Brazilian Single Center.

Introduction: Heart transplantation is the gold standard for advanced heart failure treatment. This study examines the survival rates and risk factors for early mortality in adult heart transplant recipients at a Brazilian center.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study involved 255 adult heart transplant patients from a single center in Brazil.

Temporal Analysis of COVID-19 Epidemiological Indicators in a Low-Income Brazilian Context: A Retrospective Analysis in Paraiba State.

Northeast Brazil is a region with great international tourist potential. Among the states that make up this region, Paraíba stands out due to the presence of vulnerable groups and factors that contribute to adverse outcomes of COVID-19. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the epidemiological data on the incidence, mortality, and case fatality of COVID-19 in Paraíba.

Molecular mimicry between Zika virus and central nervous system inflammatory demyelinating disorders: the role of NS5 Zika virus epitope and PLP autoantigens.

Background: Evidence indicates a strong link between Zika virus (ZikV) and neurological complications. Acute myelitis, optic neuritis, polyneuropathy, and encephalomyelitis that mimic inflammatory idiopathic demyelination disorders (IIDD) after ZikV infection have been reported in Brazil.

Objective: The present study aims to investigate the possible occurrence of molecular mimicry between ZikV antigens and Multiple Sclerosis (MS) autoantigens, the most frequent IIDD of the central nervous system (CNS).

Validation of Blood Transfusion Risk Scores (TRACK and TRUST) in a Cardiac Surgery Service in Brazil.

Introduction: Transfusion of red blood cells is recurrent in cardiac surgery despite the well-established deleterious effects. Identifying patients with higher chances of requiring blood transfusion is essential to apply strategic preventive measures to reduce such chances, considering the restricted availability of this product. The most used risk scores to predict blood transfusion are the Transfusion Risk and Clinical Knowledge (TRACK) and Transfusion Risk Understanding Scoring Tool (TRUST).

"Stable" vs. "silent progressive multiple sclerosis": a real-world retrospective clinical imaging Brazilian study.

Background: Clinical and imaging are required to characterize activity and progression in MS. The parameters for activity are well defined but not those for progression. The ideal aim for long-term treatment is that neither clinical nor imaging signs of disease should be present, and also no brain atrophy.

Recommendations by the Scientific Department of Neuroimmunology of the Brazilian Academy of Neurology (DCNI/ABN) and the Brazilian Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunological Diseases (BCTRIMS) on vaccination in general and specifically against SARS-CoV-2 for patients with demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system.

The Scientific Department of Neuroimmunology of the Brazilian Academy of Neurology (DCNI/ABN) and Brazilian Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunological Diseases (BCTRIMS) provide recommendations in this document for vaccination of the population with demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) against infections in general and against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes COVID-19. We emphasize the seriousness of the current situation in view of the spread of COVID-19 in our country. Therefore, reference guides on vaccination for clinicians, patients, and public health authorities are particularly important to prevent some infectious diseases.

Rivaroxaban in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation and a Bioprosthetic Mitral Valve.

Background: The effects of rivaroxaban in patients with atrial fibrillation and a bioprosthetic mitral valve remain uncertain.

Methods: In this randomized trial, we compared rivaroxaban (20 mg once daily) with dose-adjusted warfarin (target international normalized ratio, 2.0 to 3.

A randomized clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of rivaroxaban in patients with bioprosthetic mitral valve and atrial fibrillation or flutter: Rationale and design of the RIVER trial.

The efficacy and safety of rivaroxaban in patients with bioprosthetic mitral valves and atrial fibrillation or flutter remain uncertain. DESIGN: RIVER was an academic-led, multicenter, open-label, randomized, non-inferiority trial with blinded outcome adjudication that enrolled 1005 patients from 49 sites in Brazil. Patients with a bioprosthetic mitral valve and atrial fibrillation or flutter were randomly assigned (1:1) to rivaroxaban 20 mg once daily (15 mg in those with creatinine clearance <50 mL/min) or dose-adjusted warfarin (target international normalized ratio 2.

Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery in Brazil: Analysis of the National Reality Through the BYPASS Registry.

Introduction: Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is the most frequently performed heart surgery in Brazil. Recent international guidelines recommend that national societies establish a database on the practice and results of CABG. In anticipation of the recommendation, the BYPASS Registry was introduced in 2015.

High-Intensity Interval Training in Heart Transplant Recipients: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis.

Heart transplantation (HTx) is considered an efficient and gold-standard procedure for patients with end-stage heart failure. After surgery, patients have lower aerobic power (VO2max) and compensatory hemodynamic responses. The aim of the present study was to assess through a systematic review with meta-analysis whether high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can provide benefits for those parameters.

Embolization by Bullet Dislodged from the Heart.

Embolization by a dislodged projectile is a rare complication that may occur in cases of gunshot cardiac injuries. We report a case of a firearm projectile cardiac injury that evolved, with dislocation of the projectile during cardiac surgery, into embolization of the right external carotid artery.

Cefazolin Concentration in the Mediastinal Adipose Tissue of Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery.

Objective: To measure the concentration of cefazolin in the anterior mediastinal adipose tissue of patients undergoing cardiac surgery, determining the variation of cefazolin concentration.

Methods: Two samples of approximately 1g of subcutaneous tissue were collected from 19 patients who underwent surgery in December 2015: the first sample was collected right after sternotomy and the second one, before sternal synthesis with steel wires. Antibiotic dosage was administered through high performance liquid chromatography.

The Brazilian Registry of Adult Patient Undergoing Cardiovascular Surgery, the BYPASS Project: Results of the First 1,722 Patients.

Objective: To report the early results of the BYPASS project - the Brazilian registrY of adult Patient undergoing cArdiovaScular Surgery - a national, observational, prospective, and longitudinal follow-up registry, aiming to chart a profile of patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery in Brazil, assessing the data harvested from the initial 1,722 patients.

Methods: Data collection involved institutions throughout the whole country, comprising 17 centers in 4 regions: Southeast (8), Northeast (5), South (3), and Center-West (1). The study population consists of patients over 18 years of age, and the types of operations recorded were: coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), mitral valve, aortic valve (either conventional or transcatheter), surgical correction of atrial fibrillation, cardiac transplantation, mechanical circulatory support and congenital heart diseases in adults.

Use of venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in fulminant chagasic myocarditis as a bridge to heart transplant.

A 17-year-old Brazilian male presented with progressive dyspnea for 15 days, worsening in the last 24 hours, and was admitted in respiratory failure and cardiogenic shock, with multiple organ dysfunctions. Echocardiography showed a left ventricle ejection fraction of 11%, severe diffuse hypokinesia, and a systolic pulmonary artery pressure of 50mmHg, resulting in the need for hemodynamic support with dobutamine (20mcg/kg/min) and noradrenaline (1.7mcg/kg/min).

Aesthetic Depigmentation of Gingival Smoker's Melanosis Using Carbon Dioxide Lasers.

Melanic pigmentation results from melanin produced by the melanocytes present in the basal layer of the oral epithelium. One of the most common causes of oral pigmentation is smoker melanosis, a condition associated with the melanocyte stimulation caused by cigarette smoke. This paper aims to illustrate the use of a carbon dioxide laser in the removal of the gingival melanic pigmentation for aesthetic reasons in a 27-year-old female patient with history of a smoking habit.

Lipoma resection of the interventricular septum.

We report the case of an asymptomatic 43-year-old-man with a lipoma of the interventricular septum. Diagnosis was established during routine medical examination by 2-dimensional echocardiography and confirmed by computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. The patient underwent successful resection of the tumor.

Corpus callosum index: a practical method for long-term follow-up in multiple sclerosis.

Rather than acute inflammation, long-standing multiple sclerosis (MS) course is hallmarked by relentless axonal loss and brain atrophy, both with subtle clinical expression and scarcely visible on conventional MRI studies. Brain atrophy imaging has sophisticated methodological requirements, not always practical and accessible to most centers. Corpus callosum (CC) is a major inter-hemispheric white matter bundle, grossly affected by long term MS and easily assessed by MRI.