Publications by authors named "Ruben Carvalho"

Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) is a serious condition of public health importance. In Portugal, the prevalence of detectable hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies is approximately 0.54%, with a higher prevalence in high-risk groups.

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Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is the most prevalent form of epilepsy, through the neuronal mechanisms of this syndrome remain elusive. In addition to the temporal lobe structures, it was found that the basal forebrain cholinergic cells are also involved in epileptogenesis. However, little is known about the involvement of the basal forebrain GABAergic neurons in epilepsy; despite this, they largely project to the temporal lobe and are crucial for the regulation of the hippocampal circuitry.

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Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease that affects multiple organs. Infectious agents have been implicated in the pathogenesis of SLE. The emergent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) induces a pro-inflammatory cytokine storm and has been linked to autoimmune phenomena, which can lead to the onset of autoimmune diseases.

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(MS) is a rare and slow-growing type of non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), with a human isolation prevalence of less than 0.2% of all NTM cases. MS may cause pulmonary infection, extra-pulmonary localized disease involving the skin, lymph nodes, bone, synovial tissue or kidneys and disseminated infection, when two or more organs are affected.

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Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) secondary to infections are rare but carry important implications. The diagnosis is difficult due to unspecific symptoms. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first AAA caused by chronic Q fever treated with an endoprosthesis.

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Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome (WFS), defined as severe adrenal insufficiency due to bilateral adrenal gland haemorrhagic necrosis, occurred in a 59-year-old woman. An underlying serogroup Y (NM) infection was diagnosed, with a rapid progression to purpura fulminans, disseminated intravascular coagulation and WFS. Intensive treatment including fluid resuscitation, broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy, ventilatory support, platelet and factor replacement were administered.

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Although radiography continues to play a critical role in osseous tumor assessment, there have been remarkable advances in cross-sectional imaging. MRI has taken a lead in this assessment due to high tissue contrast and spatial resolution, which are well suited for bone lesion assessment. More recently, although somewhat lagging other organ systems, quantitative parameters have shown promising potential as biomarkers for osseous tumors.

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The use of information technologies in the field of biomedical data management has grown considerably and is today one of the main fields of use of these technologies. There are several advantages arising either to an individual's health or to public health, particularly because access to clinical data become available anywhere access via the Internet or individual health card. This card will contain personal data accessible from a terminal card reader, identical to the citizen card.

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