Publications by authors named "Monique F Santana"

Oxidative stress triggers ferroptosis, a form of cellular necrosis characterized by iron-dependent lipid peroxidation, and has been implicated in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) pathogenesis. We investigated whether Bach1, a transcription factor that represses multiple antioxidant genes, regulates host resistance to Mtb. We found that BACH1 expression is associated clinically with active pulmonary tuberculosis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Patients infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus are commonly diagnosed with threatening liver conditions associated with drug-induced therapies and systemic viral action. RNA-Seq data from cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from COVID-19 patients have pointed out dysregulation of kallikrein-kinin and renin-angiotensin systems as a possible mechanism that triggers multi-organ damage away from the leading site of virus infection. Therefore, we measured the plasma concentration of biologically active peptides from the kallikrein-kinin system, bradykinin and des-Arg-bradykinin, and liver expression of its proinflammatory axis, bradykinin 1 receptor (B1R).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Cellular necrosis during Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection promotes both immunopathology and bacterial dissemination. Glutathione peroxidase-4 (Gpx4) is an enzyme that plays a critical role in preventing iron-dependent lipid peroxidation-mediated cell death (ferroptosis), a process previously implicated in the necrotic pathology seen in Mtb-infected mice. Here, we document altered GPX4 expression, glutathione levels, and lipid peroxidation in patients with active tuberculosis and assess the role of this pathway in mice genetically deficient in or overexpressing Gpx4.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Evidence on the optimal time to initiate antiretroviral therapy (ART) in the presence of toxoplasmic encephalitis (TE) is scarce. We compared the impact of early vs. delayed ART initiation on mortality and neurologic complications at discharge in a Brazilian population co-infected with HIV and TE.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Between April and July 2020, and, therefore, prior to the broad recommendation of corticosteroids for severe COVID-19, a total of 50 full autopsies were performed in Manaus. We confirmed two invasive cases of aspergillosis through histopathology and gene sequencing (4%) in our autopsy series. The confirmed invasive aspergillosis incidence seems much lower than expected based on the "probable and possible" definitions, and an individualized approach should be considered for each country scenario.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In the Brazilian Amazon, snakebites are frequent, and patients develop tissue damage with blisters sometimes observed in the proximity of the wound. Antivenoms do not seem to impact blister formation, raising questions regarding the mechanisms underlying blister formation. Here, we launched a clinical and laboratory-based study including five patients who followed and were treated by the standard clinical protocols.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Liver test abnormalities are frequently observed in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and are associated with worse prognosis. However, information is limited about pathological changes in the liver in this infection, so the mechanism of liver injury is unclear. Here we describe liver histopathology and clinical correlates of 27 patients who died of COVID-19 in Manaus, Brazil.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

SARS-CoV-2 affects mainly the lungs, however, other manifestations, including neurological manifestations, have also been described during the disease. Some of the neurological findings have involved intracerebral or subarachnoid hemorrhage, strokes, and other thrombotic/hemorrhagic conditions. Nevertheless, the gross pathology of hemorrhagic lesions in the central nervous system has not been previously described in Brazilian autopsy cases.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The irregular use of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and late diagnosis still account for a large part of HIV-associated mortality in people living with HIV (PLHIV). Herein, we describe HIV-associated morbidity among hospitalised HIV/AIDS patients with advanced immunosuppression and assess the comorbidities, laboratory parameters, and immunological markers associated with mortality.

Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted at the Fundação de Medicina Tropical Doutor Heitor Vieira Dourado (FMT-HVD) in Manaus, Brazil.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: The objective of the present study was to estimate the frequency of CYP2C19 cytochrome variants *1, *2, *3 and *17 among Helicobacter pylori carriers from Manaus, Amazonas state, who were treated at Fundação de Medicina Tropical Dr. Heitor Vieira Dourado (FMT-HVD).

Methods: From the 78 recruited individuals who underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy with biopsy and histopathological test, 50 tested positive for H.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Electron microscopy (EM) is a rapid and effective tool that can be used to create images of a whole spectrum of virus-host interactions and, as such, has long been used in the discovery and description of viral mechanisms.

Methods: Electron microscopy was used to evaluate the pulmonary pathologies of postmortem lung sections from three patients who died from infection with SARS-associated coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a new member of the Coronaviridae family.

Results: Diffuse alveolar damage (DAD) was predominant in all three patients.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Respiratory failure (RF) is the main cause of hospital admission in HIV/AIDS patients. This study assessed comorbidities and laboratory parameters in HIV/AIDS inpatients with RF (N = 58) in relation to those without RF (N = 36). Tuberculosis showed a huge relative risk and platelet counts were slightly higher in HIV/AIDS inpatients with RF.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We present postmortem evidence of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) in a patient with severe COVID-19. Autopsies of COVID-19 confirmed cases were performed. The patient died despite antimicrobials, mechanical ventilation, and vasopressor support.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Snakebites are a neglected and underestimated global health hazard. In the Brazilian Amazon, Bothrops snakebites are the most prevalent and may lead to severe complications. Here we describe a severe case of Bothrops atrox snakebite that, owing to delayed medical assistance, presented with renal and respiratory failure, compartment syndrome, and tissue necrosis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: In Brazil, penile cancer (PC) is not uncommon. The highest incidence of PC is in the North and Northeast of the country. In addition to phimosis, the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and Epstein-Baar Virus (EBV) infections are also related as risk factors for PC.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Some epidermal alterations in measles has been described, such as keratinocytes apoptotic, parakeratosis, giant-cell formation, intranuclear and cytoplasmic inclusions, dyskeratosis, spongiosis, and intracellular edema. The authors report for the first time in human a case of measles with the presence of multinucleated giant cells in the hair follicle and dyskeratosis in acrosyringium.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Snakebites are a serious public health problem and, in the Amazon, the snake is the most frequent cause of envenomation. venom (BaV) causes pathophysiological changes with intense, local inflammatory processes, such as severe tissue complication (STC). However, mechanisms associated with the inflammatory process in humans are still poorly understood.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Staghorn, struvite or coral calculus are the ones that completely or partially occupies the renal pelvis and branches to the renal calices. The presence of renal calculi of any kind in the urinary tracts is related to the appearing of malign tumor in the kidneys, especially in the absence or failed treatment. A male patient, 51 years old, native of Manaus, reports about dysuria and polyuria associated with constant fever episodes and urinary tract infections with improvement by using several antibiotics but returning the symptoms after suspending it.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The involvement of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the central nervous system (CNS) is an uncommon and devastating manifestation of tuberculosis. We report a case of disseminated tuberculosis presenting as meningoencephalitis, hypothalamic involvement with extension to the hypophysis, and secondary insipidus diabetes diagnosed at autopsy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Warning

Message: fopen(/var/lib/php/sessions/ci_sessionn1bkcqgn9dmjln55glv3j5j6e0bn1nic): Failed to open stream: No space left on device

Filename: drivers/Session_files_driver.php

Line Number: 177

Backtrace:

File: /var/www/html/index.php
Line: 316
Function: require_once

A PHP Error was encountered

Severity: Warning

Message: session_start(): Failed to read session data: user (path: /var/lib/php/sessions)

Filename: Session/Session.php

Line Number: 137

Backtrace:

File: /var/www/html/index.php
Line: 316
Function: require_once