FERNANDA DE MELLO MALTA
Projetos de Pesquisa
Unidades Organizacionais
LIM/07 - Laboratório de Gastroenterologia Clínica e Experimental, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina
7 resultados
Resultados de Busca
Agora exibindo 1 - 7 de 7
- Ability of a Combined FIB4/miRNA181a Score to Predict Significant Liver Fibrosis in NAFLD Patients(2021) LIMA, Rodrigo Vieira Costa; STEFANO, Jose Tadeu; MALTA, Fernanda de Mello; PINHO, Joao Renato Rebello; CARRILHO, Flair Jose; ARRESE, Marco; OLIVEIRA, Claudia P.Liver biopsy is the gold standard for assessing fibrosis, but there is a need to seek non-invasive biomarkers for this purpose. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between the serum levels of the microRNAs miR-21, miR-29a, miR-122, miR-155 and miR-181a and the phenotypic expression of NAFLD. A cross-sectional study was carried out on 108 NAFLD patients diagnosed by liver biopsy. FIB-4 and NAFLD fibrosis scores were calculated. The comparison between the distributions of microRNA values according to the presence or absence of histological fibrosis (F2-F4) was performed. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to build a score for predicting fibrosis using FIB-4 and Ln (miR-181a) as independent variables. Only miR-181a showed a statistical difference between patients with significant liver fibrosis (>F2) and those without (F0-F1) (p = 0.017). FIB-4 revealed an AUC on the ROC curve of 0.667 to predict clinically significant fibrosis (F2-F4). When assessed using the score in association with Ln (miR-181a), there was an improvement in the ROC curve, with an AUC of 0.71. miR-181a can be used as a non-invasive method of predicting fibrosis in NAFLD, and an association with FIB-4 has the potential to increase the accuracy of each method alone.
- Prevalence and Pattern of Resistance in NS5A/NS5B in Hepatitis C Chronic Patients Genotype 3 Examined at a Public Health Laboratory in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil(2021) SANTOS, Ana Paula de Torres; SILVA, Vanessa Cristina Martins; MENDES-CORREA, Maria Cassia; LEMOS, Marcilio Figueiredo; MALTA, Fernanda de Mello; SANTANA, Rubia Anita Ferraz; DASTOLI, Gregorio Tadeu Fernando; CASTRO, Vanessa Fusco Duarte de; PINHO, Joao Renato Rebello; MOREIRA, Regina CeliaPurpose: Globally, it is estimated that 71 million people are chronically infected with hepatitis C, and 10-20% of these will develop cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The development of new direct-acting antiviral (DAA) drugs has contributed to sustained virological response (SVR), eliminating the infection and achieving cure of chronic hepatitis C. However, treated patients can develop HCV resistance to DAAs, which can contribute to the failure of treatment. Here, we aimed to evaluate the prevalence and specific pattern of NS5A and NS5B resistance-associated substitutions (RAS) in samples from patients chronically infected with HCV genotype 3a at a public health laboratory, Instituto Adolfo Lutz, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Patients and Methods: Serum samples from the enrolled individuals were submitted to ""in-house"" polymerase chain reaction amplification of NS5A and NS5B non-structural protein genes, which were then sequenced by Sanger method. Results: A total of 170 and 190 samples were amplified and analyzed for NS5A and NS5B, respectively. For NS5A, 20 (12.0%) samples showed some important RAS; 16 (9.0%) showed some type of substitution and 134 (79.0%) showed no polymorphism. No sample showed any RAS for NS5B. Conclusion: This study found important RAS in samples from naive chronic HCV patients in some areas from Sao Paulo. The most prevalent were A62S, A30K, and Y93H, which could indicate an increase in resistance to some DAAs used in HCV treatment.
- Characterization of subtypes of Blastocystis sp. isolated from patients with urticaria, Sao Paulo, Brazil(2019) MELO, Gessica Baptista de; MALTA, Fernanda de Mello; MARUTA, Celina Wakisaka; CRIADO, Paulo Ricardo; CASTILHO, Vera Lucia Pagliusi; GONCALVES, Elenice Messias do Nascimento; ESPIRITO-SANTO, Maria Cristina de Carvalho do; PAULA, Fabiana Martins de; GRYSCHEK, Ronaldo Cesar BorgesBlastocystis sp. is described as an enteric protist prevalent in fecal samples from humans and animals; its pathogenicity and epidemiology are still controversial. Currently, it has been associated with intestinal diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome and clinical manifestations of allergic skin, such as chronic urticaria. In the context of urticaria, it is still uncertain whether this organism is directly related to the allergic manifestation or just a common component of the intestinal microbiota. This study aimed to evaluate the occurrence and molecular diversity of Blastocystis sp. in individuals with urticaria from a dermatology outpatient clinic, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Fecal samples of 58 patients with urticaria were examined using parasitological methods; and subsequently tested by polymerase chain reaction using Blastocystis-specific primers. The subtypes (STs) and alleles (a) were determined using BLASTn and MLST tools. ST1, ST2, ST3, ST4, ST6 and mixed infection (ST1 + ST3) were identified in the patients with urticaria; ST1 (a4), ST3 (a34 and a36) and ST4 (a42) were the most prevalent. Our molecular analyses allowed an initial description of Blastocystis subtypes in patients with urticaria from Sao Paulo city, Brazil. (C) 2019 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of World Federation of Parasitologists.
- Prevalence of resistance-associated substitutions to direct-acting antiviral agents in hemodialysis and renal transplant patients infected with hepatitis C virus(2018) TAVARES, Rita Chelly Felix; FELDNER, Ana Cristina de Castro Amaral; PINHO, Joao Renato Rebello; MALTA, Fernanda de Mello; CARVALHO-FILHO, Roberto Jose; SANTANA, Rtibia Anita Ferraz; CASTRO, Vanessa Fusco Duarte de; DASTOLI, Gregorio Tadeu Fernando; LIMA, Juliana Custadio; FERRA, Maria Lucia Cardoso GomesBackground: Direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) permit the use of interferon (IFN)-free regimens to treat hepatitis C (HCV) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) on hemodialysis (HD) or renal transplant (RTx) recipients, with excellent response rates and safety. However, the occurrence of basal or therapy-induced resistance-associated substitutions (RASs) to DAAs can result in treatment failure. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of RASs to NS3A, NS5A and NS5B inhibitors, and particularly the Q80K polymorphism, in CKD patients on HD and RTx recipients infected with HCV. Patients and methods: HD and RTx patients infected with HCV-genotype 1 (GT1) were subjected to sequencing of the NS3, NS5A and NS5B regions. Results: Direct sequencing of NS3 protease, NS5A and NS5B was performed in 76 patients (HD, n=37; RTx, n=39). The overall prevalence of RASs was 38.2%, but only 5.3% of the patients had mutations in more than one region. Substitutions were detected in NS3A (17.8%), NS5A (21.9%) and NS5B (8.4%). Q80K was detected in 1.5 % of the patients. Highly inhibitory RASs were uncommon (L31M, 2.6%; L159F+C316N, 2.6%). RASs were more prevalent in HCV-GT1a (42.9%) than in HCV-GT1b (32.4%), P=0.35. RASs were detected in 52.4% of treatment-naive patients and 27.8% of peg-IFN/ribavirin-experienced patients (P=0.12). The presence of RASs was associated with time of RTx (P=0.01). Conclusion: The Q80K polymorphism was uncommon in our sample of HD and RTx patients. Despite the high prevalence of naturally occurring RASs, most of the substitutions detected were associated with a low level of resistance to DAAs.
- NAFLD in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Association with PNPLA3 and Metabolic Features(2022) RECUERO, Amanda Medeiros; GOMES, Larissa Garcia; MACIEL, Gustavo Arantes Rosa; MALTA, Fernanda de Mello; SALLES, Ana Paula Moreira; VEZOZZO, Denise Cerqueira Paranagua; BARACAT, Edmund Chada; PINHO, Joao Renato Rebello; CARRILHO, Flair Jose; STEFANO, Jose Tadeu; OLIVEIRA, Claudia P.Background: The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of the rs738409 polymorphism in the patatin-like phospholipase domain containing 3 (PNPLA3) gene in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and its impact on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) risk and severity. We also evaluated other risk factors associated with NAFLD and advanced fibrosis. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study involving 163 patients with PCOS at a tertiary center. Genotyping for the PNPLA3 polymorphism was undertaken using a TaqMan assay. The degree of fibrosis was defined by transient elastography. Results: The prevalence of NAFLD was 72.4%, and the polymorphism was heterozygous in 41.7% and homozygous in 8% of patients. Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance >= 2.5 was the main factor associated with the risk of developing NAFLD (OR = 4.313, p = 0.022), and its effect was amplified by the polymorphism (OR = 12.198, p = 0.017). Age > 32 years also conferred a higher risk for NAFLD. HDL values >= 50 mg/dL conferred protection against the outcome. Metabolic syndrome (OR = 13.030, p = 0.020) and AST > 32 U/L (OR = 9.039, p = 0.009) were independent risk factors for advanced fibrosis. Conclusions: In women with PCOS, metabolic characteristics are more relevant than PNPLA3 polymorphism regarding the risk for NAFLD and its advanced forms, but these factors can act synergistically, increasing disease risk.
- Subtypes of Blastocystis sp. isolated in fecal samples from transplant candidates in Sao Paulo, Brazil(2020) SILVA, Maria do Rosario A.; MELO, Gessica B.; MALTA, Fernanda M.; ABDALA, Edson; COSTA, Silvia F.; PIERROTTI, Ligia C.; GONCALVES, Elenice M. N.; CASTILHO, Vera L. P.; CHIEFFI, Pedro P.; GRYSCHEK, Ronaldo C. B.; PAULA, Fabiana M.Blastocystis sp. is an intestinal protozoan commonly found in fecal samples of many animal species, including humans, but poorly studied in transplant candidates. The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence and molecular identification of Blastocystis sp. in fecal samples from transplant candidates. A polymerase chain reaction was performed using specific primers for Blastocystis ribosomal DNA. The DNA sequences obtained were aligned and compared with other sequences from the GenBank and MLST databases. The analyzed samples showed a positivity of 16% (24 of 150) for Blastocystis sp. The highest occurrence was observed in renal transplant candidates (31.4%), followed by hepatic transplant candidates (10.4%) and candidates for bone marrow transplantation (5.9%). Subtype (ST) 3 (45.8%) was the most prevalent among the isolates, followed by ST1 (375%), ST2 (12.5%), and ST7 (4.2%). This is the first study of molecular identification Blastocystis sp. in transplant candidates. Our results confirmed that ST3 was the most common subtype in transplant candidates and reinforce the importance of new studies to investigate of Blastocystis sp. in these patients. (C) 2019 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of World Federation of Parasitologists.
- Updating the Phylodynamics of Yellow Fever Virus 2016-2019 Brazilian Outbreak With New 2018 and 2019 Sao Paulo Genomes(2022) SALLES, Ana Paula Moreira; NASTRI, Ana Catharina de Seixas Santos; HO, Yeh-Li; CASADIO, Luciana Vilas Boas; AMGARTEN, Deyvid Emanuel; AREVALO, Santiago Justo; GOMES-GOUVEA, Michele Soares; CARRILHO, Flair Jose; MALTA, Fernanda de Mello; PINHO, Joao Renato RebelloThe recent outbreak of yellow fever (YF) in Sao Paulo during 2016-2019 has been one of the most severe in the last decades, spreading to areas with low vaccine coverage. The aim of this study was to assess the genetic diversity of the yellow fever virus (YFV) from Sao Paulo 2016-2019 outbreak, integrating the available genomic data with new genomes from patients from the Hospital das Clinicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Sao Paulo (HCFMUSP). Using phylodynamics, we proposed the existence of new IE subclades, described their sequence signatures, and determined their locations and time of origin. Plasma or urine samples from acute severe YF cases (n = 56) with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) positive to YFV were submitted to viral genome amplification using 12 sets of primers. Thirty-nine amplified genomes were subsequently sequenced using next-generation sequencing (NGS). These 39 sequences, together with all the complete genomes publicly available, were aligned and used to determine nucleotide/amino acids substitutions and perform phylogenetic and phylodynamic analysis. All YFV genomes generated in this study belonged to the genotype South American I subgroup E. Twenty-one non-synonymous substitutions were identified among the new generated genomes. We analyzed two major clades of the genotypes IE, IE1, and IE2 and proposed the existence of subclades based on their sequence signatures. Also, we described the location and time of origin of these subclades. Overall, our findings provide an overview of YFV genomic characterization and phylodynamics of the 2016-2019 outbreak contributing to future virological and epidemiological studies.