Publications by authors named "Sigrid de Sousa Santos"

In SARSCoV-2 infections, excessive activation of the immune system dramatically elevates reactive oxygen species levels, harms cell structures, and directly increases disease severity and mortality. We aimed to evaluate whether plasma oxidative stress biomarker levels could predict mortality in adults admitted with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), considering potential confounders. We conducted a cohort study of 115 adults (62.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background & Aims: Several studies have shown conflicting results for the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and COVID-19 outcomes. Here, we aimed to evaluate whether plasma 25(OH)D levels predict mortality in adults admitted with COVID-19, considering potential confounders.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study that included 115 adults (age 62.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) is essential to suppress HIV replication, preserve immune competence, and ensure quality of life for people living with HIV/AIDS. This is a cross-sectional study to assess adherence to ART in HIV-infected adults and its associated factors in São Carlos, SP, Brazil, from June 2018 to January 2019. Standardized interviews were conducted covering demographic, clinical, and laboratory characteristics and instruments to assess compliance to treatment (CEAT-VIH), HIV/AIDS-targeted quality of life (HAT-QoL), and self-efficacy expectations of adherence (SEA-ART).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Perilesional edema, associated or not with neurological manifestations, is a well-characterized finding in cases of calcified neurocysticercosis. There are no previous reports of HIV-related calcified toxoplasmosis that mimics this presentation of neurocysticercosis. We report on five patients, four of them with new-onset neurological manifestations, who showed brain calcifications associated with perilesional edema.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: In this randomized open-label trial pilot study we assessed the antiviral effects and safety of various doses of ivermectin in patients with mild clinical symptoms of COVID-19.

Methods: Patients were randomly assigned to receive standard of care (SOC) treatment at hospital admission; SOC plus ivermectin 100 mcg/kg; SOC plus ivermectin 200 mcg/kg; or SOC plus ivermectin 400 mcg/kg. The primary assessed endpoint was the proportion of patients who achieved two consecutive negative SARS-CoV-2 RT PCR tests within 7 days of the start of the dosing period.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Delirium is a prevalent disorder that negatively affects elderly patients, but the effectiveness of various treatment methods is not fully known.
  • A systematic review analyzed literature on pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions for elderly patients over 60 with delirium from several databases up to 2016.
  • The findings showed that while pharmacological treatments, like rivastigmine and olanzapine, improved delirium symptoms and cognitive function, non-pharmacological approaches did not significantly affect delirium duration or mortality but did help reduce its severity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Intensive care mortality of HIV-positive patients has progressively decreased. However, critically ill HIV-positive patients with sepsis present a worse prognosis. To better understand this condition, we propose a study comparing clinical, etiological and inflammatory data, and the hospital course of HIV-positive and HIV-negative patients with severe sepsis or septic shock.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Population aging has become a global phenomenon, and HIV infection among older individuals is also increasing. Because age can affect the progression of HIV infection, we aimed to evaluate the present knowledge on HIV infection in older patients.

Methods: Literature review of the last 20 years.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background And Objectives: There have been few studies investigating acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients infected with the 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus. Therefore, the objective of this study was to identify the factors associated with AKI in H1N1-infected patients.

Design, Setting, Participants, & Measurements: This was a study of 47 consecutive critically ill adult patients with reverse transcriptase-PCR-confirmed H1N1 infection in Brazil.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Tetanus poses a serious health challenge in developing countries, with high mortality rates, and this study focuses on the feeding difficulties in patients diagnosed with the disease.
  • Thirteen patients in an ICU were assessed using a dysphagia screening tool, revealing severe impairments in oral sensorimotor functions for feeding, though some abilities like palate elevation and saliva swallowing were preserved.
  • The findings suggest that evaluating tongue movement is crucial for predicting cough and voice changes during swallowing, highlighting the need for speech pathologist interventions to potentially reduce ICU stay and complications.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The severity of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) in immunocompromised children, especially in those receiving renal transplants, is well known. However, the use of live attenuated virus vaccine in this population is controversial. This study aimed to: (i) assess the immunization status of pediatric renal transplant recipients at our center; (ii) determine the anti-VZV antibody titers in such patients; (iii) evaluate the response to VZV vaccine in seronegative children and in those who present low antibody titers (defined as <500 mAU/mL).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF