Publications by authors named "Margarida Tavares"

The long-term effects of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection on sleep remain poorly known. We evaluated the association between probable post-COVID-19 condition and changes in sleep quality and quantity before and after SARS-CoV-2 infection in a consecutive sample of non-hospitalized adults. Individuals were identified with SARS-CoV-2 infection in 2020 at the central laboratory of a tertiary hospital in Porto and followed as outpatients.

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Cat-scratch disease is a zoonosis caused by , characterised by regional lymphadenopathy. Rarer presentations, such as osteomyelitis, can occur.We present an adolescent girl with severe right lumbar pain and fever, without animal contacts or recent travels.

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Infective endocarditis (IE) is a relatively common disease that can manifest as a spectrum of clinical findings. Clinical awareness is key for the diagnosis. We present a case of a 14-year-old adolescent with fever, coughing, skin lesions, lip drooping, and quadrantanopia.

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Article Synopsis
  • * By sequencing 52% of confirmed cases, researchers uncovered key sublineages of the mpox virus and found evidence of early emergence and spread in Portugal, particularly among men who have sex with men.
  • * The findings emphasize the importance of sexual networks and events like saunas in the virus's spread, showcasing genomic epidemiology as a valuable tool for monitoring and controlling mpox outbreaks and informing vaccine strategies.
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A 20-month-old female, not immunized with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine, was admitted due to a four-day history of fever and cough. In the past three months, she presented respiratory infections, weight loss and enlarged cervical lymph nodes. On day two of admission, she displayed drowsiness and positive Romberg's sign; cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) workout revealed 107/ul cells, low glucose and high protein levels.

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Previous clinical trials for drug-susceptible tuberculosis (DS-TB) have shown that first-line treatment with doses of rifampicin up to 40 mg/kg are safe and increase the early treatment response for young adults with pulmonary tuberculosis. This may lead to a shorter treatment duration for those persons with TB and a good baseline prognosis, or increased treatment success for vulnerable subgroups (age > 60, diabetes, malnutrition, HIV, hepatitis B or hepatitis C coinfection, TB meningitis, stable chronic liver diseases). Here, we describe the design of a phase 2b/c clinical study under the hypothesis that rifampicin at 35 mg/kg is as safe for these vulnerable groups as for the participants included in previous clinical trials.

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  • Cysteinyl leukotrienes (CysLT) are inflammatory mediators that have not been widely studied in COVID-19, but this study investigates their relationship with disease severity and prognostic value in hospitalized patients.
  • * Urinary CysLT (U-CysLT) levels were monitored in COVID-19 patients of varying severity, with significant increases observed particularly in critically ill patients on veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO) and those with hypertension.
  • * The study found that U-CysLT levels correlated with longer ICU stays and had a promising ability to predict 30-day mortality, indicating their potential as prognostic tools and therapeutic targets in severe COVID-19 cases.*
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Unlabelled: Implemented control measures brought about by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have changed the prevalence of other respiratory viruses, often relegating them to a secondary plan. However, it must not be forgotten that a diverse group of viruses, including other human coronaviruses, rhinoviruses, respiratory syncytial virus, human metapneumoviruses, parainfluenza and influenza, continue to be responsible for a large burden of disease. In fact, they are among the most common causes of acute upper and lower respiratory tract infections globally.

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Q fever (or query fever) is a zoonotic infectious disease with worldwide distribution transmitted by an intracellular Gram-negative bacterium, Coxiella burnetii. The most common identified sources of human infection are farm animals, such as sheep, goats and cattle. The disease is endemic in mainland Portugal, with most cases notified in the central and southern regions.

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We report a case of monkeypox in a physician after an occupational needlestick injury from a pustule. This case highlights risk for occupational transmission and manifestations of the disease after percutaneous transmission: a short incubation period, followed by a solitary lesion at the injured site and later by systemic symptoms.

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Following the report of a non-travel-associated cluster of monkeypox cases by the United Kingdom in May 2022, 41 countries across the WHO European Region have reported 21,098 cases and two deaths by 23 August 2022. Nowcasting suggests a plateauing in case notifications. Most cases (97%) are MSM, with atypical rash-illness presentation.

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Article Synopsis
  • * Despite ongoing treatment with adalimumab, extensive testing ruled out infections, autoimmune diseases, and cancers, while MRI showed an acute lesion on her spine.
  • * Treatment with methylprednisolone led to improvement, prompting consideration of three possible causes: a primary neurological disorder, a vaccine-related inflammatory response, or a reaction to adalimumab.
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Up to 27 May 2022, Portugal has detected 96 confirmed cases of monkeypox. We describe 27 confirmed cases (median age: 33 years (range: 22-51); all males), with an earliest symptom onset date of 29 April. Almost all cases (n = 25) live in the Lisbon and Tagus Valley health region.

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The recently emerged severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has forced the scientific community to acquire knowledge in real-time, when total lockdowns and the interruption of flights severely limited access to reagents as the global pandemic became established. This unique reality made researchers aware of the importance of designing efficient in vitro set-ups to evaluate infectious kinetics. Here, we propose a histology-based method to evaluate infection kinetics grounded in cell microarray (CMA) construction, immunocytochemistry and in situ hybridization techniques.

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Few reports of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection by antigenically similar variants are well documented. The interplay between natural acquired immunity, escape by emerging variants, and protective measures in the healthcare setting is considered in this description of the first phylogenetically confirmed SARS-CoV-2 reinfection in Portugal.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study aims to enhance HIV care by standardizing the measurement of patient-reported outcomes alongside traditional clinical markers, responding to a global trend emphasizing what matters most to patients.
  • - An international group of 37 experts and patients collaborated to identify and agree on a core set of outcomes, using a literature review and interviews, ultimately narrowing it down to 156 identified outcomes.
  • - The newly developed HIV360 outcome set includes a combination of patient-reported and clinician-reported measures, along with risk-adjustment variables, allowing for improved recording and comparison across treatment sites to enhance quality in HIV care.
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Pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome temporally associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2; PIMS-TS) is a novel condition with persistent fever, inflammation, and single or multiorgan dysfunction. We aimed to describe the characteristics of children more severely affected and our clinical approach. We retrospectively collected clinical, treatment, and early outcomes data during a 3-month period in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) of a tertiary university hospital in Portugal.

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Field epidemiology and viral sequencing provide a comprehensive characterization of transmission chains and allow a better identification of superspreading events. However, very few examples have been presented to date during the COVID-19 pandemic. We studied the first COVID-19 cluster detected in Portugal (59 individuals involved amongst extended family and work environments), following the return of four related individuals from work trips to Italy.

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  • Montelukast is a commonly used drug for asthma that may also help treat Covid-19 by reducing lung injury and acting as an anti-viral agent.
  • A clinical trial will involve 160 hospitalized Covid-19 patients, comparing montelukast plus standard care to standard care alone, with the main focus on recovery time and safety.
  • The study aims to provide evidence on the efficacy of montelukast in improving Covid-19 symptoms and potentially expanding treatment options for patients.
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