Publications by authors named "Paulo Matos Costa"

Despite being the most common abdominal surgical emergency, the cause of acute appendicitis (AA) remains unclear, since in recent decades little progress has been made regarding its etiology. Obstruction of the appendicular lumen has been traditionally presented as the initial event of AA; however, this is often the exception rather than the rule, as experimental data suggest that obstruction is not an important causal factor in AA, despite possibly occurring as a consequence of the inflammatory process. Type I hypersensitivity reaction has been extensively studied, involving Th2 lymphocytes, and cytokines such as IL-4, IL-5, IL-9 and IL-13, which have well-defined functions, such as a positive-feedback effect on Th0 for differentiating into Th2 cells, recruitment of eosinophils and the release of eosinophilic proteins and the production of IgE with the activation of mast cells, with the release of proteins from their granules.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study investigates the role of allergic components in acute appendicitis (AA) and focuses specifically on mast cells and their mediators, particularly tryptase, histamine, and serotonin, in appendicular lavage fluid (ALF) and serum.
  • - A total of 46 patients with varying types of AA were analyzed, revealing that tryptase levels in ALF were significantly elevated compared to a control group, with phlegmonous AA showing much higher levels than gangrenous AA.
  • - Although serum tryptase had good potential as a diagnostic tool for AA, its effectiveness was weak for distinguishing between types of AA. The study suggests that future research should look into other factors since histamine and serotonin levels
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Cancer incidence rates are increasing worldwide including in Portuguese speaking African countries. We present the results of the fellowship in surgical oncology promoted by the Portuguese Institute of Oncology in Porto (IPO), Fernando Pessoa University, Portugal, and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, which involved the training of residents and surgeons from Portuguese-speaking African countries in Portugal. The program's structure and content was the same of UMES/ESSO.

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Objective: To assess the rate of textbook outcome (TO) and textbook oncological outcome (TOO) in the European population based on the GASTRODATA registry.

Background: TO is a composite parameter assessing surgical quality and strongly correlates with improved overall survival. Following the standard of treatment for locally advanced gastric cancer, TOO was proposed as a quality and optimal multimodal treatment parameter.

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Several pieces of evidence point to an allergic component as a trigger of acute appendicitis. As the Th2 immune response is characterized by eosinophil mobilization to the target organ and release of their cationic granule proteins, it is reasonable to investigate if the degranulation of eosinophils could be associated with the local injury. The primary aim of this study is to evaluate the participation of eosinophils granules proteins in acute appendicitis, both at local and systemic levels and the secondary aim is to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of eosinophils granules proteins for the detection of acute appendicitis, as well as for distinguishing between complicated and uncomplicated acute appendicitis.

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Appendicitis is the most common abdominal surgical emergency, but its aetiology is not fully understood. We and others have proposed that allergic responses play significant roles in its pathophysiology. Eosinophils and Interleukin (IL)-5 are involved in a hypersensitivity type I reaction.

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  • - Colorectal cancer (CRC) exhibits significant genetic diversity influenced by various genomic instability pathways, resulting in differences within tumors and their surrounding environments.
  • - A study of 136 CRC samples revealed that this diversity arises from molecular alterations that occur at different rates, with certain genomic features being better predictors of heterogeneity in tumor subtypes and locations.
  • - The research indicates that higher levels of genetic and microenvironment diversity are linked to a reduced likelihood of metastasis, while certain genetic changes that appear later may promote the spread of cancer cells.
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Background: Core outcome sets (COS) should be relevant to key stakeholders and widely applicable and usable. Ideally, they are developed for international use to allow optimal data synthesis from trials. Electronic Delphi surveys are commonly used to facilitate global participation; however, this has limitations.

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Approximately 4.2 million people worldwide die within 30 days of surgery each year. Half of these deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.

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The impact of negative lymph nodes (LNs) on survival of pN+ patients has been recognized. The weight of negative LNs in an inverse lymph node ratio (nR) should be related to its prognostic impact. Five hundred and two consecutive gastric cancer patients, who underwent radical gastrectomy, were included.

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Background: Postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) contribute significantly to overall postoperative morbidity and mortality. In abdominal surgery, PPCs remain frequent. The study aimed to analyze the profile and outcomes of PPCs in patients submitted to abdominal surgery and admitted in a Portuguese polyvalent intensive care unit.

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Introduction: Intestinal malrotation is a rare condition, with an incidence estimated between 0,2 to 1%. Most cases are diagnosed and treated during childhood. Adult presentations are rare and most adults present with chronic nonspecific complaints.

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