Publications by authors named "Sofia Pereira"

Article Synopsis
  • Obesity adversely affects kidney health, but the specific kidney dysfunction markers in bariatric surgery candidates are not well understood, prompting a study comparing these biomarkers to those of living kidney donors.
  • The study involved matching 200 bariatric candidates with 200 living kidney donors based on sex and age, using a 24-hour urine collection to assess protein levels and kidney function.
  • Findings indicated that patients with obesity had higher creatinine clearance and proteinuria than kidney donors, underscoring the need to reconsider how kidney function is evaluated in obese individuals considering bariatric surgery, particularly regarding body surface area adjustments.
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The presence of atopic dermatitis (AD) and mycosis fungoides (MF) presents diagnostic challenges due to their shared clinical features. AD, a chronic skin disorder characterized by pruritic and inflamed lesions, shares these features with MF, which is the most common cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. A 19-year-old male, who had a history of childhood AD, developed eczema-like lesions on his forearms, neck, and head.

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Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare malignancy with aggressive behaviour and a poor prognosis. Patients can present with adrenal hormonal excess or with nonspecific symptoms driven by the presence of an abdominal mass or metastatic disease. Many are completely asymptomatic and diagnosed incidentally.

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  • Alpha-cell hyperplasia (ACH) is a rare pancreatic condition with various forms and is often associated with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNETs), although its causes are not well understood.
  • A 72-year-old male with type 2 diabetes was found to have a non-functioning pNET during treatment for gallbladder issues, which revealed mild glucagon elevation and led to surgery.
  • Pathological analysis showed the pNET was glucagon-producing and occurred alongside ACH, emphasizing the need for specialized testing to diagnose such cases even when symptoms suggest a non-functioning tumor.
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Remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) is a procedure consisting of short cycles of ischemia applied in a limb that activates endogenous protection in distant organs, such as the brain. Despite the promising outcomes of RIC, the biochemical factors governing inter-organ communication remain largely unexplored, particularly in humans. A pilot study on 20 healthy humans was performed to identify potential circulating biochemical factors involved in RIC signalling.

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Objectives: This study aimed to systematically appraise risk factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection in high-income countries during the period of predominance of the Alpha variant (January 2020 to April 2021).

Methods: Four electronic databases were used to search observational studies. Literature search, study screening, data extraction and quality assessment were conducted by two authors independently.

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Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrinopathy in women at childbearing age. Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) is a widely accepted sensitive marker of ovarian reserve, which has been suggested that could also act as biomarker of ovarian morphology for PCOS diagnosis. Oxidative stress (OS) is known to be associated and have a negative impact factor in several reproductive conditions, including PCOS.

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Liver resection poses many challenges for the anesthesiologist, including intraoperative hemodynamic instability, postoperative pain, and risk of coagulopathy. We report a case of epidural hematoma after epidural catheter removal, following a minor liver single metastasectomy. The main purpose of this case report is to bring to light the false security provided by traditional coagulation parameters and whether further investigation should be considered in selected cases, before handling neuraxial catheters.

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Article Synopsis
  • Metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS) can improve pregnancy outcomes for obese women and significantly reduce the occurrence of gestational diabetes (GD) compared to non-operated women with similar age and body mass index (BMI).
  • A study comparing pregnancies of women who had MBS to matched controls revealed a lower frequency of GD post-surgery (7.6% vs. 19%) and lower fasting blood glucose levels and birth weight for those who had the surgery.
  • However, MBS was also linked to a higher occurrence of small-for-gestational-age (SGA) babies, which became less significant after accounting for smoking habits, highlighting the need to balance benefits with potential risks associated with MBS during pregnancy.
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Introduction: Single anastomosis duodeno-ileal bypass with sleeve gastrectomy (SADI-S) is a restrictive/hypoabsorptive procedure recommended for patients with obesity class 3. For safety reasons, SADI-S can be split into a two-step procedure by performing a sleeve gastrectomy (SG) first. This stepwise approach also provides an unprecedented opportunity to disentangle the weight loss mechanisms triggered by each component.

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The implementation of phytoremediation strategies under arid and semiarid climates requires the use of appropriate plant species capable of withstanding multiple abiotic stresses. In this study, we assessed the combined effects of organo-mineral amendments and microbial inoculants on the chemical and biological properties of mine tailings, as well as on the growth of native plant species under drought stress conditions. Plants were cultivated in pots containing 1 kg of a mixture of mine tailings and topsoil (i.

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  • Lymphoplasmocytic plaque in children (LPC) is a rare skin disorder mainly seen in kids, marked by specific histopathological traits.
  • The condition appears as defined plaques filled with lymphocytes and plasma cells in the skin's dermis layer.
  • A case study of a 10-year-old boy showed LPC on his upper arm's extensor surface, treated with topical and intralesional corticosteroids that led to partial improvement.
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Immigrant children often encounter additional barriers in accessing health care than their peers. However, there is a lack of evidence globally regarding how migrant status may have affected access to COVID-19 testing during the pandemic. This study aimed to analyze migrant status as a determinant of COVID-19 testing rates among children in the Lisbon metropolitan area, Portugal.

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Gout is a metabolic disease resulting from the deposition of monosodium urate crystals in joints, tissues, and organs. Nowadays, the treatment of hyperuricemia is easily accessible and widespread and mainly consists of xanthine oxidase inhibitors and uricosurics. In refractory and advanced cases of gout, amputation surgery may be required.

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Malnutrition is usual in patients referred for endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG). Refeeding syndrome is rarely observed in PEG-fed patients, which could possibly be associated with reduced absorption induced by prolonged starvation. In patients submitted to PEG after a significant period of fasting, the present study aims to: 1.

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Chest X-ray scans are frequently requested to detect the presence of abnormalities, due to their low-cost and non-invasive nature. The interpretation of these images can be automated to prioritize more urgent exams through deep learning models, but the presence of image artifacts, e.g.

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Background: Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) present a higher risk of cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality compared with the general population. While there are several well-established traditional CV risk factors, few studies have addressed novel potential risk factors such as α-Klotho, asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) and lean mass.

Methods: This was an observational, prospective, single-center, cohort study that included prevalent hemodialysis (online hemodiafiltration) adult patients.

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Parry Romberg syndrome (PRS) is an acquired neurocutaneous syndrome with uncertain pathophysiology, and its incidence is unknown. Usually, the disease becomes apparent during the first decade of life or early during the second decade, but it can also occur in adulthood, and it is more common in females. The main feature is slowly progressive hemiatrophy (thinning or shrinkage) of the facial tissues, typically fat, skin, connective tissues, muscle, and sometimes bone.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the link between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and metabolic disorders, focusing on the role of liver dysfunction in this relationship.
  • Male Wistar rats were used to assess the effects of a high-fat diet and chronic intermittent hypoxia, simulating OSA, on insulin sensitivity, glucose tolerance, and liver health.
  • Findings indicate that both high-fat diet and hypoxia led to metabolic dysfunction in the liver, with impaired mitochondrial function and increased oxidative stress potentially contributing to the metabolic issues associated with OSA.
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Mesothelial cells have been shown to have remarkable plasticity towards mesenchymal cell types during development and in disease situations. Here, we have characterized the potential of mesothelial cells to undergo changes toward perivascular cells using an in vitro angiogenesis assay. We demonstrate that GFP-labeled mesothelial cells (GFP-MCs) aligned closely and specifically with endothelial networks formed when human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HDMECs) were cultured in the presence of VEGF-A on normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDFs) for a 7-day period.

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Background: Post-extubation negative pressure pulmonary oedema is a rare, potentially life-threatening complication associated with general anaesthesia. Chest radiography is used as a diagnostic tool, but it implies a non-negligible radiation exposure, a very important consideration, especially for the paediatric population. However, lung ultrasound can overcome this problem and can be used to detect postoperative pulmonary complications.

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Chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) is the dominant pathological feature of human obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), which is highly prevalent and associated with cardiovascular and renal diseases. CIH causes hypertension, centred on sympathetic nervous overactivity, which persists following removal of the CIH stimulus. Molecular mechanisms contributing to CIH-induced hypertension have been carefully delineated.

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Introduction: Heart failure (HF) is the leading cause of hospitalization in the elderly in developed countries and significantly impacts public health expenditures. Patients with HF usually have associated comorbidities that require multidisciplinary management. This study aims to demonstrate the benefits of a multidisciplinary clinic in reducing all-cause hospitalizations and HF events (HF hospitalizations and urgent HF visits) in a real-world setting.

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Purpose: Weight loss achieved through bariatric metabolic surgery was demonstrated to be effective at reversing chronic kidney dysfunction associated with obesity-related glomerulopathy. However, robust data on how pre-operative kidney status impacts on bariatric metabolic surgery weight loss outcomes is still lacking. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of kidney dysfunction on weight loss outcomes after bariatric metabolic surgery.

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Oxalate is a metabolic end-product whose systemic concentrations are highly variable among individuals. Genetic (primary hyperoxaluria) and non-genetic (e.g.

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