Publications by authors named "Maria Lo Sarzi"

The pathogenesis of (DENV) infection is complex and involves viral replication that may trigger an inflammatory response leading to severe disease. Here, we investigated the correlation between viremia and cytokine levels in the serum of DENV-infected patients. Between 2013 and 2014, 138 patients with a diagnosis of acute-phase DENV infection and 22 patients with a non-dengue acute febrile illness (AFI) were enrolled.

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Article Synopsis
  • Researchers studied dengue fever in a big city in southern Brazil from 2012 to 2014, looking at patients who showed symptoms.
  • They found that out of 878 patients, 249 were confirmed to have dengue, showing it’s common in that area.
  • The study showed that higher dengue cases happened in poorer neighborhoods and that dengue cases increased a few months after it rained or when it was hot outside.
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Dengue virus (DV) infection can cause either a self-limiting flu-like disease or a threatening hemorrhage that may evolve to shock and death. A variety of cell types, such as dendritic cells, monocytes, and B cells, can be infected by DV. However, despite the role of T lymphocytes in the control of DV replication, there remains a paucity of information on possible DV-T cell interactions during the disease course.

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Targeting regions of proteins that show a high degree of structural conservation has been proposed as a method of developing immunotherapies and vaccines that may bypass the wide genetic variability of RNA viruses. Despite several attempts, a vaccine that protects evenly against the four circulating Dengue virus (DV) serotypes remains elusive. To find critical conserved amino acids in dengue viruses, 120 complete genomes of each serotype were selected at random and used to calculate conservation scores for nucleotide and amino acid sequences.

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Background: We report the isolation and characterization of dengue virus (DENV) serotype 4 from a resident of Santa Fé, state of Paraná, South Brazil, in March 2013. This patient presented with hemorrhagic manifestations, high viral load and, interestingly, a mixed Th1/Th17 cytokine profile.

Case Presentation: The patient presented with classical dengue symptoms, such as fever, rash, myalgia, arthralgia, and hemorrhagic manifestations including petechiae, gum bleeding and a positive tourniquet test result.

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