Papers by Alessandra Bales
Frontiers in Immunology
Mycophenolate rapidly substituted azathioprine (AZA) in transplant immunosuppression regimens sin... more Mycophenolate rapidly substituted azathioprine (AZA) in transplant immunosuppression regimens since the 1990s, when early clinical trials indicated better outcomes, although opposite results were also observed. However, none of these trials used the well-established optimization methods for AZA dosing, namely, thiopurine methyltransferase pharmacogenetics combined with monitoring of the thiopurine metabolites 6-thioguanine nucleotides (6-TGN) and 6-methylmercaptopurine (6-MMP). Resistance to optimize AZA therapy remains today in transplant therapy, despite the fact that thiopurine metabolite testing is being used by other medical disciplines with evident improvement in clinical results. In a previous analysis, we found that active 6-TGN metabolites were not detectable in about 30% of kidney transplant patients under continuous use of apparently adequate azathioprine dosage, which demonstrates the need to monitor these metabolites for therapeutic optimization. Two of four case studie...
Journal of The American Society of Nephrology, 2020
Frontiers in Medicine, 2021
Introduction: The kidney may be affected by coronavirus (COVID-19) in the setting of acute kidney... more Introduction: The kidney may be affected by coronavirus (COVID-19) in the setting of acute kidney injury (AKI). Data about AKI in intensive care unit (ICU) patients in Latin America are scarce. We aimed to evaluate the risk of AKI, dialysis (HD), and death in ICU COVID-19 patients in a Brazilian center.Methods: Analysis from medical records of COVID-19 patients in a Brazilian center.Results: A total of 95 patients were analyzed. There was male predominance (64.2%), median age: 64.9 years, and previous history of hypertension and diabetes in 51.6 and 27.4%, respectively. AKI was diagnosed in 54 (56.8%) patients, and 32 (59.2%) of them required HD. Mortality rate was 17.9%. AKI patients when compared with no-AKI were more frequently hypertensive/diabetic and more often needed organ support therapies. Workups depicted more anemia, lymphopenia, and higher levels of inflammatory markers and higher mortality. Comparing patients who had undergone death to survivors, they were older, more f...
Dementia is a progressive and debilitating disease affecting an increasing number of people world... more Dementia is a progressive and debilitating disease affecting an increasing number of people world- wide. Despite its importance, only a few studies have examined public awareness of dementia. We present a study of the public awareness of dementia in Botucatu, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Methods: A sample of 73 individuals answered a questionnaire approved by the Medical Ethics Research Committee inquiring about the characteristics of healthy old-aged and demented individuals. Results: Those interviewed believed that dementia is characterized by prevalent memory impairment (41%) and behavioral changes (32.9%) with onset in the 60's or older (42.5%) and upon suspecting dementia, only a few would seek specialized medical help. Discussion: Better understanding of public awareness of dementia provides the clue to more effective health and social policies in order to achieve a higher rate of early diagnosis and thereby possibly decreasing patient, family and caregiver distress.
Anais Brasileiros de Dermatologia, 2008
Relata-se caso de leishmaniose tegumentar americana com lesões proeminentes na face. Os critérios... more Relata-se caso de leishmaniose tegumentar americana com lesões proeminentes na face. Os critérios diagnósticos incluíram dados clínicos e epidemiológicos, intradermorreação de Montenegro, identificação de Leishmania pela reação em cadeia da polimerase e resposta clínica ao tratamento. A importância do relato se deve ao fato de se tratar de caso incomum de leishmaniose tegumentar americana.
The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, 2021
Background Elevated proinflammatory cytokines are associated with greater COVID-19 severity. We a... more Background Elevated proinflammatory cytokines are associated with greater COVID-19 severity. We aimed to assess safety and efficacy of sarilumab, an interleukin-6 receptor inhibitor, in patients with severe (requiring supplemental oxygen by nasal cannula or face mask) or critical (requiring greater supplemental oxygen, mechanical ventilation, or extracorporeal support) COVID-19. Methods We did a 60-day, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multinational phase 3 trial at 45 hospitals in Argentina,
BMC Geriatrics, 2020
Background McArdle disease is a myopathy caused by mutations in PYGM gene that is characterized b... more Background McArdle disease is a myopathy caused by mutations in PYGM gene that is characterized by reduced or absent activity of myophosphorylase. Reports of patients with concomitant McArdle disease and diabetes are scarce. We report a case of a patient with a late diagnosis of McArdle disease and we postulate that symptoms may be related to hypoinsulinemia. Case presentation This report describes the evolution of an elderly diabetic patient with confirmed diagnosis of McArdle’s disease based on the absence of myophosphorylase activity in the analysis of muscle biopsy, and a homozygous mutation in the PYGM gene. The variant – Chr11: 64.525 (p. Asn168*fs) has not been previously described. The diagnosis of McArdle disease was confirmed after two episodes of rhabdomyolysis, at 77 and 81 years of age, as the symptoms were, until then, discrete. The “second-wind phenomenon” was not spontaneously reported, but it was confirmed when directly questioned. We postulate that the later episod...
Brazilian Journal of Nephrology, 2021
Cardiovascular disease is the main cause of death in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). ... more Cardiovascular disease is the main cause of death in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Several heart conditions have been associated with CKD, including myocardial and pericardial diseases. This paper describes a case of Dialysis-related constrictive pericarditis in a patient diagnosed with sudden hypotension during a hemodialysis session. A 65-year-old man diagnosed with hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and cirrhosis on hemodialysis for two years complained of symptoms during one of his sessions described as malaise, lipothymia, and confusion. The patient had a record of poor compliance with the prescribed diet and missed dialysis sessions. He was sluggish during the physical examination, and presented hypophonetic heart sounds, a blood pressure of 50/30mmHg, and a prolonged capillary refill time. The patient was referred to the intensive care unit and was started on antibiotics and vasoactive drugs. His workup did not show signs of infection, while electrocardiography sh...
Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Departamento de Saude Publica, Faculdade de Medicina de B... more Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Departamento de Saude Publica, Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu
Revista da Associação Médica Brasileira, 2020
International Urology and Nephrology, 2014
Dementia & Neuropsychologia, 2008
Dementia is a progressive and debilitating disease affecting an increasing number of people world... more Dementia is a progressive and debilitating disease affecting an increasing number of people worldwide. Despite its importance, only a few studies have examined public awareness of dementia. We present a study of the public awareness of dementia in Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil. Methods: A sample of 73 individuals answered a questionnaire approved by the Medical Ethics Research Committee inquiring about the characteristics of healthy old-aged and demented individuals. Results: Those interviewed believed that dementia is characterized by prevalent memory impairment (41%) and behavioral changes (32.9%) with onset in the 60's or older (42.5%) and upon suspecting dementia, only a few would seek specialized medical help. Discussion: Better understanding of public awareness of dementia provides the clue to more effective health and social policies in order to achieve a higher rate of early diagnosis and thereby possibly decreasing patient, family and caregiver distress.
European Journal of Case Reports in Internal Medicine
COVID-19 is a severe disease that has reached pandemic status. To the best of our knowledge, we d... more COVID-19 is a severe disease that has reached pandemic status. To the best of our knowledge, we describe the first case of COVID-19 and cytomegalovirus (CMV) co-infection in a critically ill patient. We discuss the challenge of establishing the diagnosis as well as the management of tissue-invasive gastrointestinal CMV infection (TI-GI CMV) simulating vascular involvement and intestinal obstruction in a critically ill patient.
International Urology and Nephrology, 2014
calcium and increase in PTH. However, this could be an undesirable effect because it may aggravat... more calcium and increase in PTH. However, this could be an undesirable effect because it may aggravate a secondary hyperparathyroidism. Whether the reduction in leptin levels has impact on outcomes in patients on hemodialysis deserves further investigation.
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Papers by Alessandra Bales