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2019

New WHO guidelines for treatment of gambiense human African trypanosomiasis including fexinidazole: substantial changes for clinical practice

Human African trypanosomiasis caused by Trypanosoma brucei gambiense is a parasitic infection that usually progresses to coma and death unless treated. WHO has updated its guidelines for the treatment of this infection on the basis of independent literature reviews and using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation methodology. The first-line treatment options, pentamidine […]
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Species occurrence of ticks in South America, and interactions with biotic and abiotic traits

The datasets of records of the distribution of ticks and their hosts are invaluable tools to understand the phylogenetic patterns of evolution of ticks and the abiotic traits to which they are associated. Such datasets require an exhaustive collection of bibliographical references. In most cases, it is necessary the confirmation of reliable identification of ticks, […]
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How to develop a sustainable telemedicine service? A Pediatric Telecardiology Service 20 years on – an exploratory study

Background: Telemedicine services are promoting more access to healthcare. Portugal was an early adopter of telemedicine to overcome both its geological barriers and the shortage of healthcare professionals. The Pediatric Cardiology Service (PCS) at Coimbra University Hospital Centre (CHUC) has been using telemedicine to increase access and coverage since 1998. Their Pediatric Telecardiology Service has […]
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Reducing Healthcare Costs in Portugal: Outcomes and Implications for Public and Private Medicine

  • Ano de Publicação: 2019

O professor de Saúde Internacional do IHMT Tiago Correia publicou um capítulo intitulado “Reducing Healthcare Costs in Portugal: Outcomes and Implications for Public and Private Medicine” no livro: “Navigating Private and Public Healthcare”, Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore, Collyer F., Willis K. (eds). Abstract Although the growth of the private sector in health is a global trend, […]
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Ciclos Políticos, em Portugal, e papel do Estado e dos setores privado e social, na Saúde

A relação entre Estado, sector social e setor privado tem oscilado consoante o pendor ideológico dominante em cada um dos ciclos políticos. Ao longo dos 40 anos de existência do Serviço Nacional de Saúde (SNS) subsiste uma tónica comum a todos os ciclos políticos – a imprescindibilidade do SNS como sistema universalista capaz de garantir o direito à saúde dos portugueses.
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Re-Emerging foci of visceral leishmaniasis in Armenia – first molecular diagnosis of clinical samples

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) was firstly reported in Armenia in 1913. Following a considerable increase of the number of cases until the mid 1950s, the disease disappeared after 1969 and re-emerged in 1999. Scientific literature about VL in Armenia is available only in Russian or Armenian.

This paper presents a historical overview about leishmaniasis in Armenia based on this literature as well as an epidemiological update since the re-emergence of the disease. In 1999–2016, 116 indigenous VL cases were recorded mainly in children in 8 of the 11 districts, however, VL is underreported because of lack of trained medical personal and diagnostic facilities.

The aim of this work was to apply for the first time molecular diagnosis of VL in Armenia. Out of 25 VL suspected patients, 22 were positive by microscopy and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Genotyping using internal transcribed spacer 1-PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism and sequencing identified the causative agent of VL in Armenia as Leishmania infantum. The present work is an important step towards the inclusion of molecular techniques in the current diagnosis of VL in Armenia and the establishment of local molecular diagnostic facilities.
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