Publications by authors named "Maria Lobo"

: Neuropathic pain can be triggered by chemotherapy drugs such as paclitaxel (PTX). Management of pain is limited by drugs' ineffectiveness and adverse effects. Isopulegol (ISO) is a monoterpene present in the essential oils of several aromatic plants and has promising pharmacological activities.

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spp. and are important diarrheal agents in children in developing countries. Little is known about their molecular epidemiology; as such, the objective of this study was to determine the risk factors and genetic diversity of both parasites in diarrheal samples in Mozambique.

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Objectives: To analyze the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the productivity of general teaching hospitals in Brazil, by region and legal entity, and to propose parameters of care.

Methods: This was an observational study by means of mathematical modeling with data envelopment analysis and Malmquist index, using data on inputs and healthcare output before (2019) and during (2021) the pandemic.

Results: A total of 149 general teaching hospitals were analyzed, 32 of which were considered efficient.

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Primary malignancies of the central nervous system account for 2% of all cancers in adults and almost 15% in children under 15 years of age. The prognosis of brain anaplastic cancers and glioblastomas remains extremely poor, with devastating survival expectative, and new molecular markers and therapeutic targets are essential. Epigenetic changes constitute an extensive field for the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

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Precocious puberty in girls is defined by the appearance of secondary sex characteristics before the age of 8 years. Precocious puberty is either peripheral or central. In most cases, the cause of central precocious puberty is unknown.

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Schizophrenia is a leading cause of global disease burden. Current drug treatments are associated with significant side effects and have limited efficacy for many patients, highlighting the need to develop new approaches that target other aspects of the neurobiology of schizophrenia. Preclinical, in vivo imaging, postmortem, genetic, and pharmacological studies have highlighted the key role of cortical GABAergic (gamma-aminobutyric acidergic)-glutamatergic microcircuits and their projections to subcortical dopaminergic circuits in the pathoetiology of negative, cognitive, and psychotic symptoms.

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Background: Seclusion is a restrictive practice that many healthcare services are trying to reduce. Previous studies have sought to identify predictors of seclusion initiation, but few have investigated factors associated with adverse outcomes after seclusion termination.

Aims: To assess the factors that predict an adverse outcome within 24 h of seclusion termination.

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This prospective study examines the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in patients with psychotic disorders compared with healthy volunteers. Participants were recruited naturalistically as part of the UK's COVID-19 vaccination programme. Prior to receiving their first COVID-19 vaccine, blood samples were provided by participants to examine anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulins (IgG) at baseline, followed by a repeat assay 1 month after receiving their first vaccine to assess vaccine response.

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Article Synopsis
  • This study investigates the experiences of rheumatology patients in New Zealand who underwent a mandatory transition to an adalimumab biosimilar, focusing on their satisfaction and challenges.
  • A total of 117 patients completed an online survey, revealing a moderate satisfaction score of 6.2 out of 10, with concerns primarily around the support and information received during the transition.
  • Key findings suggest improvements are needed in training for the biosimilar device, access to necessary supplies like alcohol wipes, and maintaining effective patient support programs for better patient experiences in future transitions.
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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates how a mandatory transition to a biosimilar version of adalimumab affects healthcare providers in New Zealand, focusing on their satisfaction and experiences during the change.
  • Researchers conducted a survey with 164 providers, including rheumatologists, nurses, and pharmacists, to assess factors like logistics, support, and administrative workload during the transition.
  • Results revealed a moderate satisfaction score (5.7/10), with providers expressing dissatisfaction mainly regarding training, information from government, and increased administrative tasks, indicating that better training and support programs are necessary to improve transitions in the future.
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and are etiological agents of enteric diseases characterized by diarrhea that can progress to chronicity in humans, especially in children and in immunocompromised patients. This study aims to assess the genetic pattern of and detected in vegetables and fruits commercialized in Maputo markets, Mozambique and determine their public health importance. Eight study points were sampled: a farmer zone, a wholesale, four retail markets, and two supermarkets in Maputo city, where eight types of horticultural products were purchased.

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Investigations into the strength of antigen-specific responses is becoming increasingly relevant for decision making in early-phase research of novel immunotherapeutic approaches, including adoptive cell but also immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-based therapies. In the latter, antigen-specific rapid and high throughput tools to investigate MHC/antigen-specific T cell receptor (TCR) activation haven't been implemented yet. Here, we present a simple and rapid luminescence-based approach using the human papillomavirus 16 (HPV16) E7 peptide as model antigen and E7-TCR transgenic Jurkat.

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Castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) development is the foremost concern after treatment of patients with high risk with locally advanced or metastatic prostate cancer. Androgen receptor (AR) is the main driver of CRPC development, through its interaction with epigenetic modifier genes, placing epigenetics modifications in the forefront of CRPC development. Comparing the DNA methylation and expression profile of androgen-sensitive and -refractory prostate cancer cells, we describe the epigenetic silencing of claudin-3 (CLDN3) in AR positive cells resistant to androgen deprivation (LNCaP-abl).

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The COVID-19 pandemic required managerial and structural changes inside hospitals to address new admission demands, frequently reducing their care capacity for other diseases. In this regard, this study aims to support the recovery of hospital productivity in the post-pandemic context. The major challenge will be to make use of all the resources the institution has obtained (equipment, beds, temporarily hired human resources) and to increase production to meet the existing repressed demand.

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: ATP-gated ionotropic P2X7 receptors (P2X7R) actively participate in epilepsy and other neurological disorders. Neocortical nerve terminals of patients with Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy with Hippocampal Sclerosis (MTLE-HS) express higher P2X7R amounts. Overexpression of P2X7R bolsters ATP signals during seizures resulting in glial cell activation, cytokines production, and GABAergic rundown with unrestrained glutamatergic excitation.

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Background: The evidence for safe and effective interventions to treat the negative and cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia is lacking.

Objectives: Vortioxetine is a novel antidepressant that has been used as adjunctive therapy for the treatment of psychosis; however, its effectiveness in clinical practice is relatively unknown. In this study, we aimed to determine the potential clinical effectiveness and safety and tolerability of vortioxetine in psychosis.

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Diarrhea remains a public health problem in Mozambique, even with control strategies being implemented. This analysis aimed to determine the proportion and factors associated with intestinal parasitic infection (IPI) in children up to 14 years old with diarrheal disease, in the southern, central and northern regions of Mozambique. A single diarrheal sample of 1424 children was collected in hospitals and examined using the formol-ether concentration and modified Ziehl−Neelsen techniques to identify intestinal parasites using optical microscopy.

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Obtaining oligodendroglial cells from dispensable tissues would be of great interest for autologous or immunocompatible cell replacement therapy in demyelinating diseases, as well as for studying myelin-related pathologies or testing therapeutic approaches in culture. We evaluated the feasibility of generating oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) from adult rat adipose tissue by expressing genes encoding transcription factors involved in oligodendroglial development. Adipose-derived mesenchymal cells were lentivirally transduced with tetracycline-inducible , , , and/or transgenes.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated neurological, mental health disorders, and neurocognitive issues. However, there is a lack of inexpensive and efficient brain evaluation and screening systems. As a result, a considerable fraction of patients with neurocognitive or psychobehavioral predicaments either do not get timely diagnosed or fail to receive personalized treatment plans.

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Article Synopsis
  • Schizophrenia presents significant treatment challenges, creating a pressing need for new medications, which this review explores.
  • The review compares several novel drugs, such as cariprazine and lumateperone, to traditional antipsychotics, highlighting their effectiveness in treating acute episodes, as well as their impacts on associated symptoms like depression and social withdrawal.
  • Overall, the findings suggest that while many of these new treatments show promise in terms of efficacy and side effects, further studies are needed to validate their use in real-world clinical scenarios.
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(1) Background: and are important neglected parasites associated with diarrhea, such as the emerging . All three are foodborne parasites raising concerns in public health. This study intended to understand the intestinal parasite occurrence with emphasis on , , and in fresh fruits/vegetables sold in the main municipal markets of Maputo city, Mozambique.

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Neurological disorders significantly impact the world's economy due to their often chronic and life-threatening nature afflicting individuals which, in turn, creates a global disease burden. The Group of Twenty (G20) member nations, which represent the largest economies globally, should come together to formulate a plan on how to overcome this burden. The Neuroscience-20 (N20) initiative of the Society for Brain Mapping and Therapeutics (SBMT) is at the vanguard of this global collaboration to comprehensively raise awareness about brain, spine, and mental disorders worldwide.

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Background: Involving patients in treatment decisions is commonplace in healthcare, and patients are frequently accompanied by a companion (support person). Companions are often actively involved in medical consultations, yet their impact on decisions to change medications is unknown.

Purpose: This study examines the influence of companions on a patient's decision to transition from their bio-originator therapy to a biosimilar.

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