Dexamethasone-cyclophosphamide pulse therapy outcomes comparing pemphigus vulgaris and pemphigus foliaceus groups in a Brazilian cohort study.

Background: Dexamethasone-cyclophosphamide pulse (DCP) and dexamethasone pulse (DP) have been successfully used to treat pemphigus, but DCP/DP outcomes comparing pemphigus vulgaris (PV) and pemphigus foliaceus (PF) are scarce.

Objective: To compare DCP/DP outcomes in a Brazilian cohort of PV and PF patients according to demographic and clinical data.

Methods: Retrospective analytical cohort study, reviewing medical charts of PV and PF patients (for DCP/DP Phases I‒IV consult Pasricha et al.

Infective Endocarditis due to Non-HACEK Gram-Negative Bacilli: Clinical Characteristics and Risk Factors from a Prospective Multicenter Brazilian Cohort.

Non-HACEK Gram-negative bacilli (NGNB) infective endocarditis (IE) has a growing frequency. We aimed to describe cases of NGNB IE and find associated risk factors. We conducted a prospective observational study of consecutive patients with definitive IE according to the modified Duke criteria in four institutions in Brazil.

Infectious endocarditis caused by Bartonella henselae associated with infected pets: two case reports.

Background: Blood culture-negative infective endocarditis is a potentially severe disease that can be associated with infectious agents such as Bartonella spp., Coxiella burnetti, Tropheryma whipplei, and some fungi.

Case Presentation: Reported here are two cases of blood culture-negative infective endocarditis in patients with severe aortic and mitral regurgitation in Brazil; the first case is a 47-year-old white man and the second is a 62-year-old white woman.

COVID-19: Immunohistochemical Analysis of TGF-β Signaling Pathways in Pulmonary Fibrosis.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) followed by repair with lung remodeling is observed in COVID-19. These findings can lead to pulmonary terminal fibrosis, a form of irreversible sequelae. There is evidence that TGF-β is intimately involved in the fibrogenic process.

Sequential Cerebrospinal Fluid Sampling in Horses: Comparison of Sampling Times and Two Different Collection Sites.

Analysis of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is important as a complementary test in horses with neurologic diseases, and sequential analysis may provide information about the treatment response or evolution and quantitative measures of the CSF drug concentration during treatment. The aim of this study was to compare erythrocyte and nucleated cell counts and protein concentration in multiple CSF samples obtained sequentially from two different puncture sites in clinically healthy horses. Eight and 12 horses, with no evidence of neurologic disease, were subjected to CSF collection from the atlanto-occipital (AO) and C1-C2 spaces, respectively.

Left common iliac vein compression identified by vascular ultrasonography in asymptomatic women: does standing position influence diagnosis?

Background: Vascular ultrasonography is the imaging exam of choice for initial screening for left common iliac vein compression, which is an asymptomatic finding that can be detected in up to 25% of some patient samples.

Objective: To determine, using vascular ultrasonography, whether findings of left common iliac vein compression in asymptomatic women are different when assessed in the prone and standing positions.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional observational study of 50 adult female volunteers with no symptoms of pelvic venous compression.

From adrenarche to aging of adrenal zona reticularis: precocious female adrenopause onset.

Objective: Adaptive changes in DHEA and sulfated-DHEA (DHEAS) production from adrenal zona reticularis (ZR) have been observed in normal and pathological conditions. Here we used three different cohorts to assess timing differences in DHEAS blood level changes and characterize the relationship between early blood DHEAS reduction and cell number changes in women ZR.

Materials And Methods: DHEAS plasma samples (n = 463) were analyzed in 166 healthy prepubertal girls before pubarche (<9 years) and 324 serum samples from 268 adult females (31.

The neuroprotective effect of Riparin IV on oxidative stress and neuroinflammation related to chronic stress-induced cognitive impairment.

Background: Cognitive impairment is identified as one of the diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder and can extensively affect the quality of life of patients. Based on these findings, this study aimed to investigate the possible effects of Riparin IV (Rip IV) on cognitive impairment induced by chronic administration of corticosterone in mice.

Methods: Female Swiss mice were divided into four groups: control (Control), corticosterone (Cort), Riparin IV (Cort + Rip IV), and Fluvoxamine (Cort + Flu).

Cross-validation of prediction equations for estimating body composition in ballet dancers.

Introduction: In sports related to low body weight, such as classical ballet, the assessment of body composition is important for monitoring performance and health status. This study aimed to cross-validate anthropometry and bioelectrical impedance (BIA) predictive equations for estimating body composition of non-professional classical ballet dancers, using dual-energy-X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) as a reference method.

Materials And Methods: Thirty-seven female non-professional classical dancers (median age of 19 years), at intermediate/advanced level, were evaluated in a cross-sectional study.

Outcomes in patients with fungal endocarditis: A multicenter observational cohort study.

Objective: To compare the clinical and epidemiological features, treatments, and outcomes of patients with isolated right-sided and left-sided fungal endocarditis and to determine the risk factors for in-hospital mortality in patients with Candida sp endocarditis.

Methods: A retrospective review of all consecutive cases of fungal endocarditis from five hospitals was performed. Clinical features were compared between patients with isolated right-sided and left-sided endocarditis.

Early Onset Prosthetic Valve Endocarditis: Experience at a Cardiothoracic Surgical Hospital, 2006-2016.

Background: Early onset prosthetic valve endocarditis (EO-PVE) is an serious complication associated with heart valve replacement surgery.

Objectives: To describe the epidemiologic, clinical, and laboratory profile of patients with EO-PVE in a cardiac surgical hospital.

Patients And Methods: A retrospective analysis of an endocarditis database, implemented prospectively, with a post hoc study driven by analysis of cases of adults with definite endocarditis occurring up to 12 months after heart valve surgery.

Asymptomatic and symptomatic embolic events in infective endocarditis: associated factors and clinical impact.

Background: Embolic complications of infective endocarditis are common. The impact of asymptomatic embolism is uncertain.

Objectives: To determine the frequency of emboli due to IE and to identify events associated with embolism.

Histopathology of valves in infective endocarditis, diagnostic criteria and treatment considerations.

Background: Infective endocarditis (IE) is a severe disease. Pathogen isolation is fundamental so as to treat effectively and reduce morbidity and mortality. Blood and valve culture and histopathology (HP) are routinely employed for this purpose.

Antifungal Resistance and Virulence Among Candida spp. from Captive Amazonian manatees and West Indian Manatees: Potential Impacts on Animal and Environmental Health.

This work aimed at evaluating the antifungal susceptibility and production of virulence factors by Candida spp. isolated from sirenians in Brazil. The isolates (n = 105) were recovered from the natural cavities of Amazonian and West Indian manatees and were tested for the susceptibility to amphotericin B, itraconazole, and fluconazole and for the production of phospholipases, proteases, and biofilm.

Diagnosis of blood culture-negative endocarditis and clinical comparison between blood culture-negative and blood culture-positive cases.

Purpose: To analyze the clinical characteristics of blood culture-negative endocarditis (BCNE) and how it compares to those of blood culture-positive endocarditis (BCPE) cases and show how molecular tools helped establish the etiology in BCNE.

Methods: Adult patients with definite infective endocarditis (IE) and having valve surgery were included. Valves were studied by polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Yeast microbiota of natural cavities of manatees (Trichechus inunguis and Trichechus manatus) in Brazil and its relevance for animal health and management in captivity.

The aim of this study was to characterize the yeast microbiota of natural cavities of manatees kept in captivity in Brazil. Sterile swabs from the oral cavity, nostrils, genital opening, and rectum of 50 Trichechus inunguis and 26 Trichechus manatus were collected. The samples were plated on Sabouraud agar with chloramphenicol and incubated at 25 °C for 5 days.

In vitro inhibitory activity of terpenic derivatives against clinical and environmental strains of the Sporothrix schenkii complex.

Sporotrichosis is a subacute or chronic subcutaneous infection, caused by the fungus Sporothrix schenkii complex, occurring in human and animal tissues. Potassium iodide and itraconazole have been used as effective therapy for first-choice treatment, while amphotericin B may be indicated for disseminated infection. However, the adverse effects of potassium iodide and amphotericin B or the long duration of therapy with itraconazole often weigh against their use, leading to the search for alternatives for the treatment of severe infections.

Healthcare-associated infective endocarditis: a case series in a referral hospital from 2006 to 2011.

Background: Healthcare-associated infective endocarditis (HCA-IE), a severe complication of medical care, shows a growing incidence in literature.

Objective: To evaluate epidemiology, etiology, risk factors for acquisition, complications, surgical treatment, and outcome of HCA-IE.

Methods: Observational prospective case series study (2006-2011) in a public hospital in Rio de Janeiro.

Pacemaker endocarditis caused by Propionibacterium acnes in an adult patient with Ebstein's anomaly: a report of a rare case.

We report a rare case of a Brazilian adult woman with Ebstein's Anomaly who presented with pacemaker endocarditis caused by Propionibacterium acnes. Ebstein's Anomaly is a rare congenital malformation of the heart. Infective endocarditis is defined as an infection of heart valves, of the mural endocardium, of a septal defect, or of a cardiac electronic implantable device.