Teresa Cristina Abreu Ferrari - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Teresa Cristina Abreu Ferrari

Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 2022

Background Deposition of Schistosoma mansoni eggs in the brain of patients with hepatosplenic sch... more Background Deposition of Schistosoma mansoni eggs in the brain of patients with hepatosplenic schistosomiasis (HS-SM) is frequent and usually asymptomatic. However, it is questioned whether it could cause seizures. Thus, we investigated the occurrence of seizures in these patients and also searched for parameters associated with this disorder. Methods In a cross-sectional survey, we compared 128 patients with HS-SM with 102 patients with portal hypertension due to compensated chronic hepatic disease of other etiologies. A standardized questionnaire, emphasizing epilepsy-related parameters, was applied to all participants. Results Eight (6.3%) patients with HS-SM had a history of seizures, whereas this condition was reported by three (2.9%) individuals from the comparison group (p=0.354). None of the variables were associated with the occurrence of seizures, either in univariate or in multivariate analysis. Conclusions The frequency of seizures was similar in both study groups. Howev...

Clinical Transplantation, 2009

Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2013

e15199 Background: Occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is characterized by persistence of HB... more e15199 Background: Occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is characterized by persistence of HBV DNA into the tissue of hepatitis B surface antigen-negative individuals. The clinical relevance of...

Generalized lymphadenopathy is a rare manifestation of metastatic prostate cancer. Here, we repor... more Generalized lymphadenopathy is a rare manifestation of metastatic prostate cancer. Here, we report the case of a 65-year-old patient with supraclavicular, mediastinal, hilar, and retroperitoneal lymphadenopathy and pulmonary infiltration, which suggested the diagnosis of lymphoma. There were no urinary symptoms, and the serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) was only mildly increased with a normal free PSA. A biopsy of the supraclavicular lymph node was compatible with adenocarcinoma, whose prostatic origin was shown by immunohistochemical staining with PSA. The origin of the primary tumor was confirmed by directed prostate biopsy. We emphasize that a suspicion of prostate cancer in men with adenocarcinoma of undetermined origin is important for an adequate diagnostic and therapeutic

Jornal Brasileiro de Patologia e Medicina Laboratorial

Among the diseases which etiopathogenesis is associated with Escherichia coli, acute diarrhea sta... more Among the diseases which etiopathogenesis is associated with Escherichia coli, acute diarrhea stands out. Studies on the characterization of the antimicrobial susceptibility profile contribute to the selection of appropriate empirical antimicrobial therapy. In this study, the antimicrobial susceptibility profile of 98 enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) and enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) strains isolated from fecal specimens of children with acute diarrhea was evaluated. The resistance rates to ampicillin, sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim, amoxicillin/ clavulanate, and nalidixic acid were high, ranging from 34.7% to 10.2%. The result of this research recommends the use of cefotaxime and ceftriaxone for the empirical treatment of children with acute diarrhea which the etiology suggested is ETEC or EPEC.

Arquivos de Gastroenterologia, 2013

Context Studies on epidemiology of hepatocellular carcinoma and modalities of therapy used to tre... more Context Studies on epidemiology of hepatocellular carcinoma and modalities of therapy used to treat this condition are scarce in Brazil. Our aim was to characterize hepatocellular carcinoma according to etiology of the underlying chronic liver disease, and treatment modalities, in a referral center in Brazil. Methods All cases of hepatocellular carcinoma registered in the Department of Pathology during a 12-year period (1998-2010) were included. Demographic data, etiology of the underlying liver disease and treatment performed were collected. Results This case series included 215 patients, mean age 57.3 (± 14.1) years, 164 (76.2 %) male. Virus C and virus B infection were detected in 88 (43%) and 47 (23%) patients, respectively. Ethanol abuse alone or combined with other etiologies was identified in 64 (32%) individuals. Schistosomiasis was found in 18 (9%) patients. Liver transplantation was the treatment of choice in 112 (51%) patients. This procedure was more frequently performed...

Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition - JPGN, 1999

BACKGROUND Although enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is highly sensitive and specific fo... more BACKGROUND Although enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is highly sensitive and specific for the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection in adults, their performance in children is still controversial. METHODS A second-generation ELISA was used to evaluate the IgG response to H. pylori in the serum of 130 consecutive children who underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. The presence of H. pylori was determined in antral biopsy specimens by culture, urease test, and histologic analysis. RESULTS Sixty-eight children (all of the 20 who had duodenal ulcer) were H. pylori positive by microbiologic test. Immunoglobulin G antibodies to H. pylori were detected in 79.4% of the infected children and in 8.1% of the noninfected ones. The sensitivity of the test was higher in patients with duodenal ulcer (100%) than in those without (70.8%). When used in children of different ages the test also presented differences in sensitivity: 44.4% in children 2 to 6 years old; 76.7% in children 7 to 11 years old, and 93.1% in children 12 to 16 years old (p = 0.006). The serum immunoglobulin G concentration was significantly higher (p = 0.0003) in children with duodenal ulcer than in those without and was higher in older children than in younger ones without duodenal ulcer (p = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The accuracy of the test in children with duodenal ulcer and in children more than 12 years old was good; however, in children up to 12 years of age without duodenal ulcer, the sensitivity of the test was too low to be used for screening purposes or to rule out the presence of infection.

Microbiome and Metabolome in Diagnosis, Therapy, and other Strategic Applications, 2019

Fetal and pediatric pathology, 2021

OBJECTIVES To evaluate and compare pregnancy outcomes in women with Wilson's disease (WD) und... more OBJECTIVES To evaluate and compare pregnancy outcomes in women with Wilson's disease (WD) undergoing different therapies during pregnancy. MATERIAL AND METHODS Retrospective review of medication in WD patients during pregnancy and the outcomes. RESULTS Of 26 pregnancies, zinc was used in 14 (53.8%), D-penicillamine in 4 (15.4%) patients, and 8 (30.8%) were untreated. Spontaneous abortion was observed in 8 (30.8%) pregnancies - untreated patients (4/8 pregnancies), zinc (2/14 pregnancies) and D-penicillamine (2/4 pregnancies) -, healthy outcome in 12 (46.1%) and birth defects in 6 (23.1%). All cases of birth defects occurred in patients using zinc therapy (6/14 pregnancies). CONCLUSIONS A remarkably high frequency of fetal complications shed lights on the potentially harmful effect of WD drugs during childbearing age. Zinc's safety profile may have to be better evaluated during pregnancy, as all of birth defects occurred with zinc therapy.

ackground & Aims: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) reurrence after orthotopic liver transplantation OLT) i... more ackground & Aims: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) reurrence after orthotopic liver transplantation OLT) is significantly reduced by prophylaxis with yperimmune antibody to hepatitis B surface antien (anti-HBs) globulins (HBIG) and antiviral rugs. The role of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) n HBV recurrence remains unclear. We investiated the association between HCC pre-OLT and BV recurrence post-OLT. Methods: We studied 99 epatitis B surface antigen-positive patients who nderwent OLT for cirrhosis. The median folow-up period was 43 months. All patients received BIG, and 51 also received lamivudine and/or adfovir. Of these 99 patients, 31 had HCC before LT. Total HBV DNA and covalently closed circuar (ccc)-DNA were measured in tumor and nontuor tissues from the explanted livers of 16 of these 1 HCC patients and, also, in a context of tumor ecurrence, in 3 patients who developed HBV/HCC ecurrence. Results: Fourteen patients (14.1%) deeloped HBV recurrence within a median period of 5 months pos...

BACKGROUND The Institute for Healthcare Improvement Global Trigger Tool (IHI-GTT) is a simple and... more BACKGROUND The Institute for Healthcare Improvement Global Trigger Tool (IHI-GTT) is a simple and inexpensive method to identify adverse events (AEs) through retrospective search of triggers in medical records. Despite its large adoption in Brazilian hospitals, the reliability of the method has not been investigated locally. Moreover, availability of human resources might be a barrier to its implementation in low-resourced systems. The objective of this study was to evaluate the interrater reliability of an adapted version of IHI-GTT and compare it between nurses and medical students as primary reviewers in a hospital in Brazil. METHODS Two 4th-5th year-medical students and two experienced nurses applied GTT to a sample of 220 medical records randomly selected from 1,172 hospital admissions of adults (≥18 years) from Oct-Nov, 2016. Ability to identify AE was compared between pairs and against medical reviewer through percentage inter-examiner agreement and Kappa coefficient (K). Two...

Heart (British Cardiac Society), Oct 1, 2017

To the Editor We would like to thank Professor Abdoli and Professor Rasti1 for their comments and... more To the Editor We would like to thank Professor Abdoli and Professor Rasti1 for their comments and interest in our article,2 and the editors of Heart for giving us the opportunity to reply. The purpose of our recently published review on cardiac manifestations of parasitic disease2 was to update the current knowledge on the major heart diseases caused by …

Leprosy Review, 2002

Hepatic involvement in a lepromatous leprosy (LL) patient is reported. The serum concentrations o... more Hepatic involvement in a lepromatous leprosy (LL) patient is reported. The serum concentrations of aminotransferases were much higher than previously described in the leprosy literature. Other causes for hepatic damage were ruled out. Such hepatic involvement and elevation of aminotransferases have never been described in leprosy.

Nutrients, 2016

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is the most prevalent chronic liver disease in Western countries... more Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is the most prevalent chronic liver disease in Western countries; it can progress to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), cirrhosis and hepatocarcinoma. The importance of gut-liver-adipose tissue axis has become evident and treatments targeting gut microbiota may improve inflammatory and metabolic parameters in NASH patients. In a randomized, controlled clinical trial, involving 50 biopsy-proven NASH patients, we investigated the effects of synbiotic supplementation on metabolic parameters, hepatic steatosis, intestinal permeability, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) serum levels. Patients were separated into two groups receiving Lactobacillus reuteri with guar gum and inulin for three months and healthy balanced nutritional counseling versus nutritional counseling alone. Before and after the intervention we assessed steatosis by magnetic resonance imaging, intestinal permeability by lactulose/mannitol urinary excretion and SIBO by glucose breath testing. NASH patients presented high gut permeability, but low prevalence of SIBO. After the intervention, only the synbiotic group presented a reduction in steatosis, lost weight, diminished BMI and waist circumference measurement. Synbiotic did not improve intestinal permeability or LPS levels. We concluded that synbiotic supplementation associated with nutritional counseling seems superior to nutritional counseling alone for NASH treatment as it attenuates steatosis and may help to achieve weight loss.

Localized hepatic tuberculosis is a rare clinical form of tuberculosis infection; it has signs an... more Localized hepatic tuberculosis is a rare clinical form of tuberculosis infection; it has signs and symptoms related only to hepatic injury, with minimal or no extrahepatic involvement. It frequently presents as a non-specific syndrome, with systemic manifestations, which can sometimes result in a diagnostic dilemma. A high index of suspicion is required and a definitive diagnosis can be very difficult. We report a case of localized hepatic tuberculosis that presented as fever of unknown origin. Key Words: Tuberculosis, fever of unknown origin, granulomatous hepatitis. Liver involvement may occur in primary and secondary forms of tuberculosis; it is particularly frequent in patients with disseminated miliary tuberculosis [1]. The local form of hepatic tuberculosis is much less common [2,3]. Its clinical presentation can be variable, and it is usually non-specific. Signs and symptoms include fever, hepatomegaly, night sweats, weight loss, malaise, anorexia, and abdominal pain. Occasio...

Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine

Schistosomiasis, especially due to Schistosoma mansoni, is a well-recognized cause of pulmonary a... more Schistosomiasis, especially due to Schistosoma mansoni, is a well-recognized cause of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The high prevalence of this helminthiasis makes schistosome-related PAH (Sch-PAH) one of the most common causes of this disorder worldwide. The pathogenic mechanisms underlying Sch-PAH remain largely unknown. Available evidence suggests that schistosome eggs reach the lung via portocaval shunts formed as a consequence of portal hypertension due to hepatosplenic schistosomiasis. Once deposited into the lungs, the eggs elicit an immune response resulting in periovular granuloma formation. Immune mediators drive transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) release, which gives rise to pulmonary vascular inflammation with subsequent remodeling and development of angiomatoid and plexiform lesions. These mechanisms elicited by the eggs seem to become autonomous and the vascular lesions progress independently of the antigen. Portopulmonary hypertension, which pathogenesis is...

Journal of Cardiovascular Diseases & Diagnosis, 2014

Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has reached epidemic proportions in the last... more Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has reached epidemic proportions in the last decade, and it is related to high cardiovascular mortality. This disorder encompasses a spectrum of increasingly severe clinicopathological conditions, i.e. nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) with or without fibrosis/cirrhosis. Mortality associated with NAFLD is significantly higher in patients with the more advanced stages of this condition and is chiefly due to concomitant cardiovascular disease. The association between NAFLD severity and carotid artery intima-media thickness (CIMT) is controversial. Objective: To investigate the association between CIMT and the clinical forms of NAFLD. Methods: The study included 34 adult patients with NAFL, 20 with NASH, and 26 asymptomatic controls without the MS and/or NAFLD. The clinical and metabolic characteristics as well as CIMT values, measured using a fully automated ultrasound system, were compared between the NAFL and NASH groups. CIMT of the NAFLD patients were also compared to those of the control group. Results: The proportion of patients with athermanous plaque was significantly higher in the NAFLD group in comparison to the controls. Internal carotid artery CIMT and the combined measurement in the right side (common carotid artery, carotid bifurcation and internal carotid) were higher in the NAFL group when compared to the NASH patients. No other significant differences were found between CIMT values of the NAFL and NASH groups. After adjustment for clinical, demographic, and laboratorial variables, age was the main determinant of CIMT. Conclusions: No clinically significant association was observed between CIMT of the patients with NAFL and NASH. Age was the main determinant of CIMT.