Publications by authors named "Ivana Santos Varella"

Background: Syphilis coinfection among pregnant people living with HIV (PLH) may worsen pregnancy outcomes. We evaluated the impact of syphilis coinfection on pregnancies in south Brazil.

Methods: Data were extracted from hospital records between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2018.

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Background: Childbirth via cesarean delivery can prevent intrapartum vertical transmission for women who are not virally suppressed at the time of delivery. Few studies have compared cesarean delivery trends between women living with HIV and women without HIV and have examined the role of cesarean delivery in the prevention of vertical transmission in the era of potent combination antiretroviral therapy.

Objective: We hypothesized that the cesarean delivery rate is high in women living with HIV compared with women without HIV and that cesarean delivery usage decreases over time among women living with HIV with advances in combined antiretroviral therapy in a country with a high national cesarean delivery rate.

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Background: Pregnancy loss is poorly understood, but infection may be a risk factor. Few studies have evaluated pregnancy loss among women living with HIV in the era of potent combination antiretroviral therapy.

Objective: We hypothesize that maternal HIV and syphilis infection lead to increased risk of pregnancy loss, including both miscarriage and stillbirth.

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Background: Reducing congenital syphilis has been the focus of Brazilian health programs for decades, yet the cases continue to increase. Although health interventions have targeted HIV screening and treatment, syphilis management continues to be challenging. Syphilis during pregnancy may enhance the HIV maternal seroconversion risk.

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Objectives: Porto Alegre, in south Brazil, has one of the highest hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection rates in the country (84.4 cases/100 000 in 2018). Prenatal screening of HCV, however, has not been routinely offered.

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Background: The Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) ultrasound (US) categorization revised in 2013 by the American College of Radiology resulted in unquestionable standardization of reports and confirmed category 3 and 5 as benign and malignant lesions, respectively. In contrast, suspected images (category 4) have subcategorization criteria, although theses have been detailed difficult to apply. The aim of the present study was to determine the role of the US 4A to 4C BI-RADS subcategories in predicting malignancy.

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