Determinants of HIV late presentation among men who have sex with men in Portugal (2014-2019): who's being left behind?

Introduction: HIV late presentation (LP) remains excessive in Europe. We aimed to analyze the factors associated with late presentation in the MSM population newly diagnosed with HIV in Portugal between 2014 and 2019.

Methods: We included 391 newly HIV-1 diagnosed Men who have Sex with Men (MSM), from the BESTHOPE project, in 17 countrywide Portuguese hospitals.

Real-World Effectiveness and Safety of Glecaprevir/Pibrentasvir for the Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis C: A Prospective Cohort Study in Portugal.

Introduction: Information about pan-genotypic treatments for hepatitis in Portugal is scarce. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of glecaprevir plus pibrentasvir (GLE/PIB) treatment for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in real-world clinical practice.

Methods: An observational prospective study was implemented in six hospitals with 121 adult HCV patients who initiated treatment with GLE/PIB between October 2018 and April 2019, according to clinical practice.

Clinical and Epidemiological Features of Hospitalized and Ambulatory Patients with Human Monkeypox Infection: A Retrospective Observational Study in Portugal.

Monkeypox, a neglected and re-emergent zoonotic disease caused by monkeypox virus (MPXV) infection, has been endemic in Central and Western Africa for decades. More recently, an outbreak has spread to a global level, occurring in sites with no previous reported cases and being clustered among men who have sex with men, suggesting new modes of transmission. There is an urgent need for research for a better understanding of the genomic evolution and changing epidemiology of the Orthopoxvirus group.

HIV-1-Transmitted Drug Resistance and Transmission Clusters in Newly Diagnosed Patients in Portugal Between 2014 and 2019.

Objective: To describe and analyze transmitted drug resistance (TDR) between 2014 and 2019 in newly infected patients with HIV-1 in Portugal and to characterize its transmission networks.

Methods: Clinical, socioepidemiological, and risk behavior data were collected from 820 newly diagnosed patients in Portugal between September 2014 and December 2019. The sequences obtained from drug resistance testing were used for subtyping, TDR determination, and transmission cluster (TC) analyses.

Long-Term Evolution of SARS-CoV-2 in an Immunocompromised Patient with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.

Recent studies have shown that persistent SARS-CoV-2 infections in immunocompromised patients can trigger the accumulation of an unusual high number of mutations with potential relevance at both biological and epidemiological levels. Here, we report a case of an immunocompromised patient (non-Hodgkin lymphoma patient under immunosuppressive therapy) with a persistent SARS-CoV-2 infection (marked by intermittent positivity) over at least 6 months. Viral genome sequencing was performed at days 1, 164, and 171 to evaluate SARS-CoV-2 evolution.

Chronic hepatitis C treatment in HIV co-infection in Portugal: Results from a cohort OF 2133 patients presented by GEPCOI (Portuguese Coinfection Study Group).

Direct-acting antiviral drugs (DAAs) have recently changed the paradigm of hepatitis C therapy, significantly improving treatment response rates, patient life expectancy and quality of life. In Portugal, sofosbuvir (SOF) and SOF/ledipasvir (SOF/LDV) were fully reimbursed by the National Health System since early 2015 and generalized use of interferon-free DAA based regimens became current practice. During 2016, the remaining DAAs were sequentially added and covered by the same health access policy.

Evaluation of the Treponema pallidum particle agglutination technique (TP.PA) in the diagnosis of neurosyphilis.

The Treponema pallidum particle agglutination technique (TP.PA) was evaluated, in comparison with the Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL) test, microhemagglutination assay for Treponema pallidum antibodies (MHA-TP), and fluorescent treponemal antibody-ABS (FTA-Abs) test for the diagnosis of neurosyphilis. We have studied 198 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from patients with syphilis, including neurosyphilis, treated syphilis, and with other neurological manifestations than neurosyphilis.