Joana Costa - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Joana Costa

Research paper thumbnail of Endometrial polyps in pre- and postmenopausal women: Factors associated with malignancy

Maturitas, 2007

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of premalignant and malignant polyps and their association ... more Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of premalignant and malignant polyps and their association with menopausal status, hormone therapy and clinical characteristics in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women. Methods: A surgical database was used to select pre-and postmenopausal women ≥40 years of age, submitted to hysteroscopic resection of endometrial polyps. The medical records of 475 women were reviewed and clinical characteristics and histological diagnosis of resected polyps were assessed. Results: The majority of women had benign endometrial lesions, 78.53% of which were endometrial polyps and 13.47% polyps with simple or complex endometrial hyperplasia without atypia. Polyps with endometrial hyperplasia with atypia comprised 1.05% of cases, while 2.74% were carcinomatous polyps. Analysis using prevalence ratios showed that premalignant and malignant lesions were associated with age and postmenopausal bleeding. Women >60 years of age had a prevalence ratio 3.28 times greater (95%CI: 1.19-9.07) of premalignant or malignant polyps. When only postmenopausal women were evaluated for the effect of age, those over 60 years of age had a prevalence 5.31 times greater (95%CI: 1.22-23.09), while those with postmenopausal bleeding had an age-adjusted prevalence ratio of 3.71 (95%CI: 1.21-11.34) compared to asymptomatic women. No significant association was found between arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, obesity, use of hormone therapy or tamoxifen and premalignancy or malignancy. Conclusions: There was a low prevalence of premalignant and malignant lesions in endometrial polyps. Older women and those with postmenopausal bleeding had a greater prevalence of malignancy and in these cases hysteroscopic resection of endometrial polyps is mandatory.

Research paper thumbnail of HAGR: the Human Ageing Genomic Resources

Nucleic Acids Research, 2005

The Human Ageing Genomic Resources (HAGR) is a collection of online resources for studying the bi... more The Human Ageing Genomic Resources (HAGR) is a collection of online resources for studying the biology of human ageing. HAGR features two main databases: GenAge and AnAge. GenAge is a curated database of genes related to human ageing. Entries were primarily selected based on genetic perturbations in animal models and human diseases as well as an extensive literature review. Each entry includes a variety of automated and manually curated information, including, where available, protein-protein interactions, the relevant literature, and a description of the gene and how it relates to human ageing. The goal of GenAge is to provide the most complete and comprehensive database of genes related to human ageing on the Internet as well as render an overview of the genetics of human ageing. AnAge is an integrative database describing the ageing process in several organisms and featuring, if available, maximum life span, taxonomy, developmental schedules and metabolic rate, making AnAge a unique resource for the comparative biology of ageing. Associated with the databases are data-mining tools and software designed to investigate the role of genes and proteins in the human ageing process as well as analyse ageing across different taxa. HAGR is freely available to the academic community at http:// genomics.senescence.info.

Research paper thumbnail of The Human Ageing Genomic Resources: online databases and tools for biogerontologists

Aging Cell, 2009

Aging is a complex, challenging phenomenon that requires multiple, interdisciplinary approaches t... more Aging is a complex, challenging phenomenon that requires multiple, interdisciplinary approaches to unravel its puzzles. To assist basic research on aging, we developed the Human Ageing Genomic Resources (HAGR). This work provides an overview of the databases and tools in HAGR and describes how the gerontology research community can employ them. Several recent changes and improvements to HAGR are also presented. The two centrepieces in HAGR are GenAge and AnAge. GenAge is a gene database featuring genes associated with aging and longevity in model organisms, a curated database of genes potentially associated with human aging, and a list of genes tested for their association with human longevity. A myriad of biological data and information is included for hundreds of genes, making GenAge a reference for research that reflects our current understanding of the genetic basis of aging. GenAge can also serve as a platform for the systems biology of aging, and tools for the visualization of protein-protein interactions are also included. AnAge is a database of aging in animals, featuring over 4000 species, primarily assembled as a resource for comparative and evolutionary studies of aging. Longevity records, developmental and reproductive traits, taxonomic information, basic metabolic characteristics, and key observations related to aging are included in AnAge. Software is also available to aid researchers in the form of Perl modules to automate numerous tasks and as an SPSS script to analyse demographic mortality data. The HAGR are available online at http://genomics.senescence.info.

Research paper thumbnail of Pott's puffy tumour: still not an eradicated entity

Childs Nervous System, 2001

Pott's puffy tumour is an infrequent entity characterised by one or more subperiosteal abscesses ... more Pott's puffy tumour is an infrequent entity characterised by one or more subperiosteal abscesses associated with frontal bone osteomyelitis. Although cases in patients of all ages have been reported, teenagers are the most frequently affected. Early diagnosis and aggressive treatment are essential because of the high risk of severe neurological complications, such as epidural abscess, subdural empyema, and secondary septic thrombosis of the dural sinuses. This paper describes the case of a patient with a subperiosteal abscess resulting from sinusitis, with orbital and intracranial extension, and subsequent neurological complications. Despite modern methods of diagnosis and treatment, 13 new cases have been published in the last 5 years; in at least 3 (23%) of these cases there were serious neurological complications. Upper respiratory infections and sinusitis are leading causes of visits to the emergency department in the paediatric age group; however, no risk factors for poor outcome have so far been identified in any of these patients.

Research paper thumbnail of Endometrial polyps in pre- and postmenopausal women: Factors associated with malignancy

Maturitas, 2007

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of premalignant and malignant polyps and their association ... more Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of premalignant and malignant polyps and their association with menopausal status, hormone therapy and clinical characteristics in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women. Methods: A surgical database was used to select pre-and postmenopausal women ≥40 years of age, submitted to hysteroscopic resection of endometrial polyps. The medical records of 475 women were reviewed and clinical characteristics and histological diagnosis of resected polyps were assessed. Results: The majority of women had benign endometrial lesions, 78.53% of which were endometrial polyps and 13.47% polyps with simple or complex endometrial hyperplasia without atypia. Polyps with endometrial hyperplasia with atypia comprised 1.05% of cases, while 2.74% were carcinomatous polyps. Analysis using prevalence ratios showed that premalignant and malignant lesions were associated with age and postmenopausal bleeding. Women >60 years of age had a prevalence ratio 3.28 times greater (95%CI: 1.19-9.07) of premalignant or malignant polyps. When only postmenopausal women were evaluated for the effect of age, those over 60 years of age had a prevalence 5.31 times greater (95%CI: 1.22-23.09), while those with postmenopausal bleeding had an age-adjusted prevalence ratio of 3.71 (95%CI: 1.21-11.34) compared to asymptomatic women. No significant association was found between arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, obesity, use of hormone therapy or tamoxifen and premalignancy or malignancy. Conclusions: There was a low prevalence of premalignant and malignant lesions in endometrial polyps. Older women and those with postmenopausal bleeding had a greater prevalence of malignancy and in these cases hysteroscopic resection of endometrial polyps is mandatory.

Research paper thumbnail of HAGR: the Human Ageing Genomic Resources

Nucleic Acids Research, 2005

The Human Ageing Genomic Resources (HAGR) is a collection of online resources for studying the bi... more The Human Ageing Genomic Resources (HAGR) is a collection of online resources for studying the biology of human ageing. HAGR features two main databases: GenAge and AnAge. GenAge is a curated database of genes related to human ageing. Entries were primarily selected based on genetic perturbations in animal models and human diseases as well as an extensive literature review. Each entry includes a variety of automated and manually curated information, including, where available, protein-protein interactions, the relevant literature, and a description of the gene and how it relates to human ageing. The goal of GenAge is to provide the most complete and comprehensive database of genes related to human ageing on the Internet as well as render an overview of the genetics of human ageing. AnAge is an integrative database describing the ageing process in several organisms and featuring, if available, maximum life span, taxonomy, developmental schedules and metabolic rate, making AnAge a unique resource for the comparative biology of ageing. Associated with the databases are data-mining tools and software designed to investigate the role of genes and proteins in the human ageing process as well as analyse ageing across different taxa. HAGR is freely available to the academic community at http:// genomics.senescence.info.

Research paper thumbnail of The Human Ageing Genomic Resources: online databases and tools for biogerontologists

Aging Cell, 2009

Aging is a complex, challenging phenomenon that requires multiple, interdisciplinary approaches t... more Aging is a complex, challenging phenomenon that requires multiple, interdisciplinary approaches to unravel its puzzles. To assist basic research on aging, we developed the Human Ageing Genomic Resources (HAGR). This work provides an overview of the databases and tools in HAGR and describes how the gerontology research community can employ them. Several recent changes and improvements to HAGR are also presented. The two centrepieces in HAGR are GenAge and AnAge. GenAge is a gene database featuring genes associated with aging and longevity in model organisms, a curated database of genes potentially associated with human aging, and a list of genes tested for their association with human longevity. A myriad of biological data and information is included for hundreds of genes, making GenAge a reference for research that reflects our current understanding of the genetic basis of aging. GenAge can also serve as a platform for the systems biology of aging, and tools for the visualization of protein-protein interactions are also included. AnAge is a database of aging in animals, featuring over 4000 species, primarily assembled as a resource for comparative and evolutionary studies of aging. Longevity records, developmental and reproductive traits, taxonomic information, basic metabolic characteristics, and key observations related to aging are included in AnAge. Software is also available to aid researchers in the form of Perl modules to automate numerous tasks and as an SPSS script to analyse demographic mortality data. The HAGR are available online at http://genomics.senescence.info.

Research paper thumbnail of Pott's puffy tumour: still not an eradicated entity

Childs Nervous System, 2001

Pott's puffy tumour is an infrequent entity characterised by one or more subperiosteal abscesses ... more Pott's puffy tumour is an infrequent entity characterised by one or more subperiosteal abscesses associated with frontal bone osteomyelitis. Although cases in patients of all ages have been reported, teenagers are the most frequently affected. Early diagnosis and aggressive treatment are essential because of the high risk of severe neurological complications, such as epidural abscess, subdural empyema, and secondary septic thrombosis of the dural sinuses. This paper describes the case of a patient with a subperiosteal abscess resulting from sinusitis, with orbital and intracranial extension, and subsequent neurological complications. Despite modern methods of diagnosis and treatment, 13 new cases have been published in the last 5 years; in at least 3 (23%) of these cases there were serious neurological complications. Upper respiratory infections and sinusitis are leading causes of visits to the emergency department in the paediatric age group; however, no risk factors for poor outcome have so far been identified in any of these patients.