Introduction: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) continue to occur at high levels. According to the WHO, each year there are an estimated 374 million new infections with syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and trichomoniasis. STIs are associated with an increased risk of acquiring HIV infection. Migrants are reportedly highly affected by STIs. Objectives: This study aims to characterize factors associated with ...
Objective: To describe and analyze transmitted drug resistance (TDR) between 2014 and 2019 in newly infected patients with HIV-1 in Portugal and to characterize its transmission networks. Methods: Clinical, socioepidemiological, and risk behavior data were collected from 820 newly diagnosed patients in Portugal between September 2014 and December 2019. The sequences obtained from drug resistance testing were us...
Introduction and objectives: The Internet is a fundamental aspect of health information. However, the absence of quality control encourages misinformation. We aim to assess the relevance and quality of acute myocardial infarction videos shared on YouTube (www.youtube.com) in Portuguese. Methods: We analyzed 1,000 videos corresponding to the first 100 search results on YouTube using the following terms (in Portu...
Vitamin D is a fundamental regulator of host defences by activating genes related to innate and adaptive immunity. Previous research shows a correlation between the levels of vitamin D in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 and the degree of disease severity. This work investigates the impact of the genetic background related to vitamin D pathways on COVID-19 severity. For the first time, the Portuguese populatio...
Introduction: Acute pericarditis is a common inflammatory condition of the pericardium usually assumed to be viral or idiopathic. Despite recent treatment improvements, information is scarce regarding etiology and prognosis. Our aim was to determine the incidence of pericarditis with a known etiology and assess clinical prognostic predictors. Material and Methods: A clinical retrospective analysis of hospitaliz...
Pacemakers with sleep apnea monitor (SAM) provide an easy tool to assess obstructive sleep apnea over long periods of time. The link between respiratory disturbances at night and the incidence of acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) is not well established. We aimed at (1) determining the ability of SAM pacemakers to evaluate the extent of left ventricular overload and (2) assess the impact of respiratory d...
Identifying patients with normotensive pulmonary embolism (PE) who may benefit from thrombolysis remains challenging. We sought to develop and validate a score to predict 30-days PE-related mortality and/or rescue thrombolysis. METHODS: We retrospectively assessed 554 patients with normotensive PE. Independent predictors of the studied endpoint were identified from variables available at admission in the emerge...
Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) often undergo troponin (Tn) testing in the emergency department (ED), but the clinical significance of mildly elevated values remains unclear. We evaluated short-term 30-day post-discharge outcomes in AF patients according to troponin levels. Out of 2181 AF patients evaluated in the ED (June 2014 to June 2015), we included consecutive admitted patients. Patients were group...
Graves’ disease is the main cause of hyperthyroidism in women of childbearing age. It occurs by the presence of serum immunoglobulins which stimulate the thyrotropin receptor (TRAbs) and may cross the placenta. It has serious consequences when uncontrolled, leading to fetal and/or neonatal hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism. The authors describe the case of a newborn from a mother with poorly controlled Graves’ ...