Publications by authors named "Laura Guedes"

Article Synopsis
  • * Among the 123 AMA-positive AIH patients studied, 5.1% had AMA, more commonly found in females; however, there were no significant differences in liver damage or treatment response compared to AMA-negative patients.
  • * The presence of AMA is noteworthy mainly when linked to non-specific bile duct injury, as these patients have a higher risk of progressing to cirrhosis and developing further liver damage over time, emphasizing the need for thorough liver biopsy assessments.
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Article Synopsis
  • PBC and AIH/PBC are linked to an increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and extra-hepatic malignancy (EHM), prompting a study to identify cancer risk factors in these patients.
  • The study analyzed data from 752 PBC patients, finding 87 cancer cases, including 20 HCC and 67 EHM, with notable associations between HCC and factors like cirrhosis, smoking, and certain medications.
  • Cirrhosis, obesity, and past azathioprine therapy were identified as independent risk factors for HCC, while Sjogren syndrome and psoriasis correlated with EHM; overall, EHM prevalence was higher in PBC patients compared to HCC.
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Background: Response to ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) in primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) has been traditionally assessed 1 to 2 years after treatment initiation. With the development of new drugs, some patients may benefit from an earlier introduction of second-line therapies.

Aims: This study aims to identify whether well-validated response criteria could correctly identify individuals likely to benefit from add-on second-line therapy at 6 months.

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Up to 40% of patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) will have a suboptimal biochemical response to ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), which can be improved by the addition of fibrates. This exploratory study aims to evaluate the long-term real-life biochemical response of different fibrates, including ciprofibrate, in subjects with UDCA-unresponsive PBC. The Brazilian Cholestasis Study Group multicenter database was reviewed to assess the response rates to UDCA plus fibrates in patients with UDCA-unresponsive PBC 1 and 2 years after treatment initiation by different validated criteria.

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Introduction/aims: Liver fibrosis assessment is a key issue in the evaluation of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) patients. In the present study, we aimed to validate a noninvasive marker panel to assess significant and advanced fibrosis in these patients.

Method: 126 biopsy-proven NAFLD patients were included.

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Introduction And Aims: Several non-invasive scoring systems have been developed and validated worldwide to predict the risk of liver fibrosis in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, information about the performance of these systems in Latin American populations is scarce. Our aim was to evaluate the performance of the Hepamet Fibrosis Score, Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) and the NAFLD Fibrosis Score (NFS) in a mixed Latin American group of NAFLD patients.

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is a brown macroalgae used in food and generally considered safe to be consumed, according to EU Directive (EC 258/97). The aim of this study is to analyze the effect of food preparation on of different origins on what concerns its chemical constituents and final bioactivities. The aqueous extract of the seaweeds were obtained at different temperatures, similar to food preparation and then purified by SPE.

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is recommended for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders and to reduce hypercholesterolemia in ethno-medicinal practice. To perform a top-down study that could give some insight into the molecular basis of these bioactivities, decoctions from leaves were prepared and the compounds were identified by liquid chromatography-high resolution tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Secoiridoids glycosides, like gentiopicroside and sweroside, and several xanthones, such as di-hydroxy-dimethoxyxanthone, were identified.

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