Browsing by Author "Ramos, Helena"
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- Determinants of HIV late presentation among men who have sex with men in Portugal (2014–2019): who’s being left behind?Publication . Abrantes, Ricardo; Pimentel, Victor; Miranda, Mafalda N. S.; Silva, Ana Rita; Diniz, António; Ascenção, Bianca; Piñeiro, Carmela; Koch, Carmo; Rodrigues, Catarina; Caldas, Cátia; Morais, Célia; Faria, Domitília; Silva, Elisabete Gomes da; Teófilo, Eugénio; Monteiro, Fátima; Roxo, Fausto; Maltez, Fernando; Rodrigues, Fernando; Gaião, Guilhermina; Ramos, Helena; Costa, Inês; Germano, Isabel; Simões, Joana; Oliveira, Joaquim; Ferreira, José; Poças, José; Cunha, José Saraiva da; Soares, Jorge; Fernandes, Sandra; Mansinho, Kamal; Pedro, Liliana; Aleixo, Maria João; Gonçalves, Maria João; Manata, Maria José; Mouro, Margarida; Serrado, Margarida; Caixeiro, Micaela; Marques, Nuno; Costa, Olga; Pacheco, Patrícia; Proença, Paula; Rodrigues, Paulo; Pinho, Raquel; Tavares, Raquel; Abreu, Ricardo Correia de; Côrte-Real, Rita; Serrão, Rosário; Castro, Rui Sarmento e; Nunes, Sofia; Faria, Telo; Baptista, Teresa; Simões, Daniel; Mendão, Luis; Martins, M. Rosário O.; Gomes, Perpétua; Pingarilho, Marta; Abecasis, Ana B.Introduction HIV late presentation (LP) remains excessive in Europe. We aimed to analyze the factors associated with late presentation in the MSM population newly diagnosed with HIV in Portugal between 2014 and 2019.Methods We included 391 newly HIV-1 diagnosed Men who have Sex with Men (MSM), from the BESTHOPE project, in 17 countrywide Portuguese hospitals. The data included clinical and socio-behavioral questionnaires and the viral genomic sequence obtained in the drug resistance test before starting antiretrovirals (ARVs). HIV-1 subtypes and epidemiological surveillance mutations were determined using different bioinformatics tools. Logistic regression was used to estimate the association between predictor variables and late presentation (LP).Results The median age was 31 years, 51% had a current income between 501-1,000 euros, 28% were migrants. 21% had never been tested for HIV before diagnosis, with 42.3% of MSM presenting LP. 60% were infected with subtype B strains. In the multivariate regression, increased age at diagnosis, higher income, lower frequency of screening, STI ever diagnosed and higher viral load were associated with LP.Conclusion Our study suggests that specific subgroups of the MSM population, such older MSM, with higher income and lower HIV testing frequency, are not being targeted by community and clinical screening services. Overall, targeted public health measures should be strengthened toward these subgroups, through strengthened primary care testing, expanded access to PrEP, information and promotion of HIV self-testing and more inclusive and accessible health services.
- Determinants of HIV-1 transmission clusters and transmitted drug resistance in men who have sex with men: a multicenter study in Portugal (2014-2019)Publication . Abrantes, Ricardo; Pimentel, Victor; Sebastião, Cruz; Miranda, Mafalda N. S.; Seabra, Sofia; Silva, Ana Rita; Diniz, António; Ascenção, Bianca; Piñeiro, Carmela; Koch, Carmo; Rodrigues, Catarina; Caldas, Cátia; Morais, Célia; Faria, Domitília; Silva, Elisabete Gomes da; Teófilo, Eugénio; Monteiro, Fátima; Roxo, Fausto; Maltez, Fernando; Rodrigues, Fernando; Gaião, Guilhermina; Ramos, Helena; Costa, Inês; Diogo, Isabel; Germano, Isabel; Simões, Joana; Oliveira, Joaquim; Ferreira, José; Poças, José; Cunha, José Saraiva da; Soares, Jorge; Mansinho, Kamal; Pedro, Liliana; Aleixo, Maria João; Gonçalves, Maria João; Manata, Maria José; Mouro, Margarida; Serrado, Margarida; Caixeiro, Micaela; Marques, Nuno; Costa, Olga; Pacheco, Patrícia; Proença, Paula; Rodrigues, Paulo; Pinho, Raquel; Tavares, Raquel; Abreu, Ricardo Correia de; Real, Rita Côrte; Serrão, Rosário; Castro, Rui Sarmento e; Nunes, Sofia; Faria, Telo; Baptista, Teresa; Simões, Daniel; Mendão, Luis; Martins, M. Rosário O.; Gomes, Perpétua; Pingarilho, Marta; Abecasis, Ana B.In the EU/EEA, men who have sex with men (MSM) is a priority group for the prevention and control of HIV-1 infection. In Portugal, the 2023 HIV incidence rate was 8.2 per 100,000 inhabitants, with 876 new infections, 41.7% in MSM. We aim to characterize HIV-1 transmission clusters (TC) and transmitted drug resistance (TDR) and its sociodemographic, behavioral, clinical, and viral genomic determinants in MSM newly diagnosed in Portugal between 2014 and 2019.
- Naphthoylhydrazones: coordination to metal ions and biological screeningPublication . Ribeiro, Nadia; Galvao, Adelino M.; Gomes, Clara S. B.; Ramos, Helena; Pinheiro, Rute; Saraiva, Lucilia; Ntungwe, Epole; Isca, Vera; Rijo, Patricia; Cavaco, Isabel; Ramilo-Gomes, Filipa; Guedes, Rita C.; Pessoa, Joao Costa; Correia, IsabelWe report the synthesis of 3-hydroxyl-2-naphthoylhydrazones containing pyrrole (HL1), furane (HL2) and thiophene (HL3) moieties and their V(IV)O-, Cu(II)- and Zn(II)-complexes. All compounds are characterized by the usual analytical techniques and coordination of the ligands to the metal ions is discussed based on spectroscopic data (FTIR, UV-vis, EPR and NMR) as well as CAMB3LYP DFT/TDDFT calculations, indicating the formation of neutral ML2 type complexes. The photophysical properties of ligands and complexes are disclosed. The binding to Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) is evaluated in detail using several spectroscopic tools. Circular dichroism shows that the compounds, and particularly the ligand precursors, stabilize BSA, increasing its a-helical content. Fluorescence studies indicate the formation of 1 : 1 protein-compound adducts, which is corroborated by molecular docking studies that show the interaction between Trp 213 of BSA and the naphthalene rings. The general toxicity is evaluated using the Artemia salina lethality assay, with all compounds showing general toxicity towards the brine shrimp model. The cytotoxicity on human cancer cells (H1299, MCF7, and HCT116) is assessed for all compounds and the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values are in the range from 0.57 to 27.35 mu M. Compounds containing L-1 (pyrrole derivative) are the most cytotoxic, with the vanadium and zinc complexes performing better than the copper ones, and some of them depicting IC50 values lower than 1.1 mM. However, selectivity needs improvement as the compounds show toxicity towards Artemia salina and normal fibroblasts.
- Spontaneous pneumomediastinumPublication . Lucas, Susana; Ramos, HelenaPneumomediastinum is defined as the presence of air in the mediastinal cavity. Can be classified into two categories: secondary pneumomediastinum, when there is a causative etiological factor and spontaneous pneumomediastinum, without a clear etiology.