Publications by authors named "Heline Lira Vasconcelos"
Methylprednisolone as Adjunctive Therapy for Patients Hospitalized With Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19; Metcovid): A Randomized, Double-blind, Phase IIb, Placebo-controlled Trial.
Clin Infect Dis
May 2021
Background: Steroid use for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is based on the possible role of these drugs in mitigating the inflammatory response, mainly in the lungs, triggered by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of methylprednisolone (MP) among hospitalized patients with suspected COVID-19.
Methods: A parallel, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, Phase IIb clinical trial was performed with hospitalized patients aged ≥18 years with clinical, epidemiological, and/or radiological suspected COVID-19 at a tertiary care facility in Manaus, Brazil.
We report the case of a 15-year-old male patient presenting frontal headaches with retro-orbital pain accompanied by fever evolving to weakness and pain of the lower limbs, which ascended to upper limbs. A COVID-19 rapid test (IgG and IgM) and nasopharyngeal swab polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was positive for SARS-CoV-2. The blood tests, cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) analysis and CSF aerobic culture revealed no abnormalities.
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- This study investigates chronic HDV/HBV co-infection in a small group of 64 patients, focusing on those infected with the HDV-3 genotype.
- Researchers identified three patterns of co-infection based on viral replication dominance and found that higher HDV viral loads correlated with greater liver inflammation and fibrosis.
- Key factors predicting advanced liver disease included high HDV viral load, older age, and splenomegaly, suggesting that HDV plays a crucial role in liver damage in these patients.