Publications by authors named "Joao R Alves"

Purpose: The Brazilian Public Health System (BPHS) serves approximately 71,730 patients with prostate cancer (PC) every year for which androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is the primary treatment for patients with advanced hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (aHSPC). Androgen receptor pathway inhibitors (ARPIs) are not accessible through the BPHS. Using the BPHS as a model, this study assesses the long-term economic effect of surgical versus medical castration in aHSPC treatment to strategize cost reduction and the incorporation of ARPI in developing countries.

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This paper presents a novel hybrid approach for the computational modeling of cardiac perfusion, combining a discrete model of the coronary arterial tree with a continuous porous-media flow model of the myocardium. The constructive constrained optimization (CCO) algorithm captures the detailed topology and geometry of the coronary arterial tree network, while Poiseuille's law governs blood flow within this network. Contrast agent dynamics, crucial for cardiac MRI perfusion assessment, are modeled using reaction-advection-diffusion equations within the porous-media framework.

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Radical prostatectomy is a commonly adopted treatment for localized/locally advanced prostate cancer in men with a life expectancy of ten years or more. Robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) is comparable to open radical prostatectomy on cancer control and complication rates; however, new evidence suggests that RARP may have better functional outcomes, especially with respect to urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction. Some of the surgical steps of RARP are not adequately described in published literature and, as such, may have an impact on the final outcomes of the procedure.

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Introduction: The objective of this study was to perform an independent external validation of the Giganti-Coppola nomogram (GCN), which uses clinical and radiological parameters to predict prostate extracapsular extension (ECE) on the final pathology of patients undergoing radical prostatectomy (RP).

Material And Methods: Seventy-two patients diagnosed with prostate cancer (PCa), who were RP candidates from two institutions, were prospectively included. All patients underwent preoperative multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) at 1.

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This work presents a new mathematical model to describe cardiac perfusion in the myocardium as acquired by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) perfusion exams. The combination of first pass (or contrast-enhanced CMR) and late enhancement CMR is a widely used non-invasive exam that can identify abnormal perfused regions of the heart via the use of a contrast agent (CA). The exam provides important information to the diagnosis, management, and prognosis of ischemia and infarct: perfusion on different regions, the status of microvascular structures, the presence of fibrosis, and the relative volume of extracellular space.

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Purpose: To analyze pre-transplantation and early postoperative factors affecting post-transplantation urine output and develop a predictive nomogram.

Patients And Methods: Retrospective analysis of non-preemptive first transplanted adult patients between 2001-2016. The outcomes were hourly diuresis in mL/Kg in the 1st (UO1) and 8th (UO8) postoperative days (POD).

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Purpose: To investigate the roles of age, testicular rotation and time in the surgical outcome of intravaginal testicular torsion (iTT).

Patients And Methods: We retrieved the records of all iTT patients treated in our unit from January 2012 to January 2014. Explanatory variables were: age (years); presentation delay (PrD, time between symptoms and hospitalization); surgical delay (SurgD, time between hospitalization and surgery) and testicular rotation (rotation), with surgical outcome (orchidopexy, orchidectomy) as response variable.

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Over a complete two-year period, phlebotomine specimens were caught in an area of cutaneous leishmaniasis occurrence in the municipality of Angra dos Reis. A manual suction tube was used to catch phlebotomines on house walls, and also light traps in domestic and peridomestic settings and in the forest. This yielded 14,170 specimens of 13 species: two in the genus Brumptomyia and eleven in the genus Lutzomyia.

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Captures of sand flies were carried out in peridomiciliary, domiciliary and forest environments on São José farm, located in Carmo county where an autochthonous case of American Cutaneous Leishmaniasis occurred to investigate the probable vector of the disease. A total of 4.595 sand flies belonging to six species of the genus Lutzomyia were captured: L.

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The frequency of Bromeliaceae and other plant breeding places where Aedes aegypti can be found is reported during two consecutive operational cycles (focal treatment) in the city of Rio de Janeiro. These cycles took place from November 12 2000 to March 9 2001 and from March 12 2001 to June 15 2001. This study concentrates on the epidemiological implications resulting from the growing use of these plants as decorative living objects.

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