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Browsing by Author "Carvalho, A."

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  • Avaliação da hiperalgesia em relação com a administração peri-operatória de opióides
    Publication . Brás, A.; Carvalho, A.; Carvalho, C.; Carvalho, M.; Dias, J.; Duarte, A.; Mendes, D.; Mendes, T.; Mesquita, M.; Pinto, A.; Santos, A.; Alves, S.; Amorim, P.
    2013-06-28Conference object Open access Show more
  • DISFUNÇÕES SEXUAIS: DISFUNÇÃO ERÉCTIL
    Publication . Carvalho, A.
    2010-07-02Conference object Open access Show more
  • Economic Impact of Prosthetic Joint Infection - an Evaluation Within the Portuguese National Health System
    Publication . Sousa, A.; Carvalho, A.; Pereira, C.; Reis, E.; Santos, A.; Abreu, M.; Soares, D.; Fragoso, R.; Ferreira, S.; Reis, M.; Sousa, R.
    Introduction: Prosthetic infection is a devastating complication of arthroplasty and carries significant economic burden. The objective of this study was to analyze the economic impact of prosthetic hip and knee infection in Portuguese National Health System. Material and Methods: Case-control study carried out from January 2014 to December 2015. The mean costs of primary arthroplasties and prosthetic revision surgeries for non-infectious reasons were compared with the costs of prosthetic infections treated with debridement and preservation of the prosthesis or with two-stage exchange arthroplasty.The reimbursement for these cases was also evaluated and compared with its real costs. Results: A total of 715 primary arthroplasties, 35 aseptic revisions, 16 surgical debridements and 15 revisions for infectious reasons were evaluated. The cost of primary arthroplasties was 3,230€ in the hips and 3,618€ in the knees. The cost of aseptic revision was 6,089€ in the hips and 7,985€ in the knees. In the cases treated with debridement and implant retention the cost was 5,528€ in the hips and 4,009€ in the knees. In cases of infections treated with a two-stage revision the cost was 11,415€ and 13,793€ for hips and knees, respectively. Conclusion: As far as we know this is the first study that analyzes the economic impact of prosthetic infection in the Portuguese context. Although direct compensation for treating infected cases is much lower than calculated costs, infected cases push the overall hospital case-mix-index upwards thus increasing financial compensation for the entire cohort of treated patients. This knowledge will allow for more informed decisions about health policies in the future.
    2018-09-08Journal article Open access Show more
  • Estrogen Metabolism-Associated CYP2D6 and IL6-174G/C Polymorphisms in Schistosoma haematobium Infection
    Publication . Cardoso, R.; Lacerda, P.; Costa, P.; Machado, A.; Carvalho, A.; Bordalo, A.; Fernandes, R.; Soares, R.; Richter, J.; Alves, H.; Botelho, M.
    Schistosoma haematobium is a human blood fluke causing a chronic infection called urogenital schistosomiasis. Squamous cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder (SCC) constitutes chronic sequelae of this infection, and S. haematobium infection is accounted as a risk factor for this type of cancer. This infection is considered a neglected tropical disease and is endemic in numerous countries in Africa and the Middle East. Schistosome eggs produce catechol-estrogens. These estrogenic molecules are metabolized to active quinones that induce modifications in DNA. The cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes are a superfamily of mono-oxygenases involved in estrogen biosynthesis and metabolism, the generation of DNA damaging procarcinogens, and the response to anti-estrogen therapies. IL6 Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a pleiotropic cytokine expressed in various tissues. This cytokine is largely expressed in the female urogenital tract as well as reproductive organs. Very high or very low levels of IL-6 are associated with estrogen metabolism imbalance. In the present study, we investigated the polymorphic variants in the CYP2D6 gene and the C-174G promoter polymorphism of the IL-6 gene on S. haematobium-infected children patients from Guine Bissau. CYP2D6 inactivated alleles (28.5%) and IL6G-174C (13.3%) variants were frequent in S. haematobium-infected patients when compared to previously studied healthy populations (4.5% and 0.05%, respectively). Here we discuss our recent findings on these polymorphisms and whether they can be predictive markers of schistosome infection and/or represent potential biomarkers for urogenital schistosomiasis associated bladder cancer and infertility.
    2017-11-28Journal article Open access Show more
  • Hiperaldosteronismo primário: novas perspectivas
    Publication . Carvalho, A.; Carvalho, R.
    RESUMO O hiperaldosteronismo primário (HAP) é a forma secundária de hipertensão arterial mais frequente. A prevalência real é desconhecida, mas em estudos recentes cerca de 10% dos hipertensos apresentam esta forma potencialmente curável de hipertensão arterial. Este artigo visa rever de uma forma breve os aspectos históricos, bioquímicos, patológicos e clínicos do HAP, assim como os dilemas que se colocam no seu rastreio e diagnóstico diferencial. Para tal foram avaliados os artigos indexados na MEDLINE e PubMed publicados entre Janeiro de 1970 a Julho de 2008 com os seguintes termos Primary Aldosteronism, Aldosteronism, Conn’s Syndrome, Screening, Diagnosis, Treatment, Plasma Aldosterone-to-Renin Ratio, Direct Renin Concentration ou Renin Activity. Apesar das inúmeras publicações sobre este assunto só muito recentemente foi tentado um consenso internacional sobre o seu rastreio, diagnóstico e diferenciação. No entanto, algumas das questões clínicas mais polémicas não foram completamente esclarecidas, nomeadamente aquelas que se levantam quando pretendemos definir qual o valor de corte para os testes de rastreio, a prova de confirmação mais indicada para cada doente e a forma mais simples e menos invasiva de distinguir os vários subtipos de HAP. De uma maneira geral um rastreio positivo obtido através da relação aldosterona-renina deve ser confirmado com uma prova de sobrecarga salina. Na continuação deve ser obtida uma imagem das supra-renais através duma tomografia axial computorizada (TAC) seguida, ou não, do cateterismo das veias supra-renais, conforme exista demonstração de unilateralidade e vontade expressa do doente em ser submetido a uma cirurgia. O tratamento de eleição para qualquer forma unilateral de HAP é a adrenalectomia laparoscópica, a qual permite cura clínica em mais de metade dos doentes. Todos os restantes devem ser tratados com doses eficazes e toleráveis de antagonistas da aldosterona (espironolactona ou eplenerona) de modo a obterem um melhor controlo tensional e redução do número de eventos cardiovasculares.
    2008Journal article Open access Show more
  • Patient-physician discordance in assessment of adherence to inhaled controller medication: a cross-sectional analysis of two cohorts
    Publication . Jácome, C.; Pereira, A.; Almeida, R.; Ferreira-Magalhães, Manuel; Couto, M.; Araujo, L.; Pereira, M.; Correia, M.; Loureiro, C.; Catarata, M.; Maia Santos, L.; Pereira, J.; Ramos, B.; Lopes, C.; Mendes, A.; Cidrais Rodrigues, J.; Oliveira, G.; Aguiar, A.; Afonso, I.; Carvalho, J.; Arrobas, A.; Coutinho Costa, J.; Dias, J.; Todo Bom, A.; Azevedo, J.; Ribeiro, C.; Alves, M.; Leiria Pinto, P.; Neuparth, N.; Palhinha, A.; Gaspar Marques, J.; Pinto, N.; Martins, P.; Todo Bom, F.; Alvarenga Santos, M.; Gomes Costa, A.; Silva Neto, A.; Santalha, M.; Lozoya, C.; Santos, N.; Silva, D.; Vasconcelos, M.; Taborda-Barata, L.; Carvalhal, C.; Teixeira, M.; Alves, R.; Moreira, A.; Sofia Pinto, C.; Morais Silva, P.; Alves, C.; Câmara, R.; Coelho, D.; Bordalo, D.; Fernandes, R.; Ferreira, R.; Menezes, F.; Gomes, R.; Calix, M.; Marques, A.; Cardoso, J.; Emiliano, M.; Gerardo, R.; Nunes, C.; Câmara, R.; Ferreira, J.; Carvalho, A.; Freitas, P.; Correia, R.; Fonseca, J.
    Objective: We aimed to compare patient's and physician's ratings of inhaled medication adherence and to identify predictors of patient-physician discordance. Design: Baseline data from two prospective multicentre observational studies. Setting: 29 allergy, pulmonology and paediatric secondary care outpatient clinics in Portugal. Participants: 395 patients (≥13 years old) with persistent asthma. Measures: Data on demographics, patient-physician relationship, upper airway control, asthma control, asthma treatment, forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and healthcare use were collected. Patients and physicians independently assessed adherence to inhaled controller medication during the previous week using a 100 mm Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Discordance was defined as classification in distinct VAS categories (low 0-50; medium 51-80; high 81-100) or as an absolute difference in VAS scores ≥10 mm. Correlation between patients' and physicians' VAS scores/categories was explored. A multinomial logistic regression identified the predictors of physician overestimation and underestimation. Results: High inhaler adherence was reported both by patients (median (percentile 25 to percentile 75) 85 (65-95) mm; 53% VAS>80) and by physicians (84 (68-95) mm; 53% VAS>80). Correlation between patient and physician VAS scores was moderate (rs=0.580; p<0.001). Discordance occurred in 56% of cases: in 28% physicians overestimated adherence and in 27% underestimated. Low adherence as assessed by the physician (OR=27.35 (9.85 to 75.95)), FEV1 ≥80% (OR=2.59 (1.08 to 6.20)) and a first appointment (OR=5.63 (1.24 to 25.56)) were predictors of underestimation. An uncontrolled asthma (OR=2.33 (1.25 to 4.34)), uncontrolled upper airway disease (OR=2.86 (1.35 to 6.04)) and prescription of short-acting beta-agonists alone (OR=3.05 (1.15 to 8.08)) were associated with overestimation. Medium adherence as assessed by the physician was significantly associated with higher risk of discordance, both for overestimation and underestimation of adherence (OR=14.50 (6.04 to 34.81); OR=2.21 (1.07 to 4.58)), while having a written action plan decreased the likelihood of discordance (OR=0.25 (0.12 to 0.52); OR=0.41 (0.22 to 0.78)) (R2=44%). Conclusion: Although both patients and physicians report high inhaler adherence, discordance occurred in half of cases. Implementation of objective adherence measures and effective communication are needed to improve patient-physician agreement.
    2019-11-07Journal article Open access Show more
  • Pós-operatório de Correcção de Escoliose: Experiência da Unidade de Cuidados Intensivos Pediátricos
    Publication . Aires de Sousa, L.; Silvestre, C.; Carvalho, A.; Oom, P.; Santos, E.; Correia, M.
    RESUMO Objectivo: Analisar os casos de escoliose submetidos a intervenção cirúrgica, que fi zeram o pós-operatório na Unidade de Cuidados Intensivos Pediátricos, para identifi car problemas ou defi ciências e propor soluções. Métodos: Análise retrospectiva dos casos referidos, no período de 2000 a 2004. Resultados: Em 39 doentes identifi cados foram analisados 30, dos quais 21 eram do sexo feminino e as idades encontravam-se compreendidas entre 17 meses e 17 anos. A escoliose idiopática foi o tipo mais frequente (quinze casos), seguida da neuromuscular (doze casos), não havendo diferença signifi cativa nas idades em que foram corrigidas. Foram realizadas provas de função respiratória pré-operatórias em nove doentes. Tiveram necessidade de ventilação mecânica treze doentes; a duração média da ventilação foi de 2 dias. A todos os doentes foi administrada analgesia. Em quinze casos foi efectuada transfusão de concentrado eritrocitário, em dez dos quais autóloga. Houve complicações precoces em quatro casos (13%) - choque hipovolémico (dois), pneumotórax (um), pneumoperitoneu (um) – e complicações tardias em sete casos (23%): a mais frequente foi a infecção urinária. A mortalidade foi de 1/39 casos (2,5%). Conclusões: É desejável a aplicação dum protocolo de avaliação/tratamento escalonado para a dor. A ventilação mecânica nestes doentes está dependente de vários factores (patologia de base, grau de insufi ciência respiratória existente, duração da anestesia, necessidade de analgesia de potência elevada). É fundamental a estabilização hemodinâmica no bloco operatório e deve ser sempre feita uma avaliação criteriosa das indicações para transfusão. A escoliose neuro-muscular requer uma abordagem multidisciplinar pré-operatória. Objective: To a n a l y s e t h e postoperative in the Intensive Care Unit after scoliosis surgery, in order to identify problems and propose solutions. Methods: A retrospective review of those cases in the period between 2000 and 2004. Results: Thirty patients undergoing surgery for scoliosis were analysed. Ages ranged from 17 months to 17 years and 21 patients were female. Idiopathic scoliosis was the most frequent (15 patients),followed by neuromuscular scoliosis (12 patients). There were not significative differences in the age at which surgical correction was done. Nine patients (eight with neuromuscular scoliosis) had preoperative pulmonary function testing. Thirteen patients (11 with neuromuscular scoliosis) required mechanical ventilation with a mean duration of two days. Every patient received analgesy - in 25 cases an opioid was used. Fifteen patients were transfused – autologous blood was used in ten. There were early complications in four cases (13%) – hypovolemic shock (2), pneumothorax (1), pneumoperitoneum (1). There were late complications in seven (23%): the most frequent was urinary tract infection. Mortality was 1/39 cases (2.5%). Conclusions: Effective postoperative pain management requires a stepped approach. Mechanical ventilation of these patients is dependent on different factors (patient disorder, respiratory insuffi ciency grade, anaesthesia duration, high grade analgesy). It is very important a good haemodynamic control during surgery. Neuromuscular scoliosis requires an attempted multimodal preoperatory approach.
    2006Journal article Open access Show more