Mariana A. Hacker
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View article: Multimodal approach to the diagnosis of pure neural neuropathy in leprosy
Multimodal approach to the diagnosis of pure neural neuropathy in leprosy Open
Introduction Neuropathy is an important feature of leprosy, a chronic infection caused by Mycobacterium leprae that mainly affects the skin and peripheral nerves. There is a rare and atypical form called the pure neural form, which is mani…
View article: Pharmacologic properties and inhibitory activity of 6-azasteroids against <i>Mycobacterium leprae in vivo</i> and <i>in vitro</i>
Pharmacologic properties and inhibitory activity of 6-azasteroids against <i>Mycobacterium leprae in vivo</i> and <i>in vitro</i> Open
Although the current multidrug therapy (MDT) for leprosy is very successful, the long treatment duration and the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains demand for new alternative drugs. One potential target for drug development against …
View article: Neutrophilic leukocytosis and erythema nodosum leprosum in leprosy: insights from a retrospective observational study
Neutrophilic leukocytosis and erythema nodosum leprosum in leprosy: insights from a retrospective observational study Open
Background Leprosy reactions represent immunologically mediated episodes of acute inflammation that, if not diagnosed and treated promptly, can cause irreversible impairment of nerve function and permanent disabilities. A frequent type of …
View article: Whole blood transcriptomics reveals the enrichment of neutrophil activation pathways during erythema nodosum leprosum reaction
Whole blood transcriptomics reveals the enrichment of neutrophil activation pathways during erythema nodosum leprosum reaction Open
Introduction Patients with the multibacillary form of leprosy can develop reactional episodes of acute inflammation, known as erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL), which are characterized by the appearance of painful cutaneous nodules and syste…
View article: Development of a multivariate predictive model for dapsone adverse drug events in people with leprosy under standard WHO multidrug therapy
Development of a multivariate predictive model for dapsone adverse drug events in people with leprosy under standard WHO multidrug therapy Open
Background The occurrence of adverse drug events (ADEs) during dapsone (DDS) treatment in patients with leprosy can constitute a significant barrier to the successful completion of the standardized therapeutic regimen for this disease. Wel…
View article: Cytokines profile in pure neural leprosy
Cytokines profile in pure neural leprosy Open
Introduction Pure Neural Leprosy (PNL) is a form of this long time known disease that affects only the peripheral nervous system. Since it is a rare form of the disease, its pathophisiology is still poorly understood. Objective Describe th…
View article: Housing characteristics of crack cocaine users in Northeast Brazil, 2011-2013.
Housing characteristics of crack cocaine users in Northeast Brazil, 2011-2013. Open
We compared sociodemographic characteristics, substance use patterns, sexual behavior, use of health services, and criminal records of homeless vs. domiciled users. Data are from the Brazilian National Survey on Crack Use. A discriminant m…
View article: Leprosy Reactions and Neuropathic Pain in Pure Neural Leprosy in a Reference Center in Rio de Janeiro – Brazil
Leprosy Reactions and Neuropathic Pain in Pure Neural Leprosy in a Reference Center in Rio de Janeiro – Brazil Open
Introduction Leprosy reactions are complications that can occur before, during, or after multidrug therapy (MDT) and are considered a major cause of nerve damage. Neuritis is an inflammatory process that causes nerve function impairment as…
View article: Follow-up assessment of patients with Pure Neural Leprosy in a reference center in Rio de Janeiro—Brazil
Follow-up assessment of patients with Pure Neural Leprosy in a reference center in Rio de Janeiro—Brazil Open
Introduction Pure Neural Leprosy (PNL) is a rare clinical form of leprosy in which patients do not present with the classical skin lesions but have a high burden of the disability associated with the disease. Clinical characteristics and f…
View article: The red flags of ulnar neuropathy in leprosy
The red flags of ulnar neuropathy in leprosy Open
The diagnosis of pure neural leprosy is more challenging because patients share characteristics with other common pathologies, such as ulnar compression, which should be taken into consideration for differential diagnosis. In this study, w…
View article: Persistent Neuropathy in Lepromatous Leprosy Patients
Persistent Neuropathy in Lepromatous Leprosy Patients Open
Lepromatous leprosy (LL) patients have evidence of extensive peripheral nerve damage as soon as a diagnosis is made, but most of them have few or no symptoms related to peripheral neuropathy. Usually, they do not have the cardinal signal o…
View article: Low rate of relapse after twelve-dose multidrug therapy for hansen’s disease: A 20-year cohort study in a brazilian reference center
Low rate of relapse after twelve-dose multidrug therapy for hansen’s disease: A 20-year cohort study in a brazilian reference center Open
The World Health Organization has raised concerns about the increasing number of Hansen disease (HD) relapses worldwide, especially in Brazil, India, and Indonesia that report the highest number of recurrent cases. Relapses are an indicato…
View article: Increased oxidative stress in elderly leprosy patients is related to age but not to bacillary load
Increased oxidative stress in elderly leprosy patients is related to age but not to bacillary load Open
Background Leprosy continues to be a public health problem in Brazil. Furthermore, detection rates in elderly people have increased, particularly those of multibacillary (L-Lep) patients, who are responsible for transmitting M . leprae . P…
View article: Cytokine Levels in Neural Pain in Leprosy
Cytokine Levels in Neural Pain in Leprosy Open
Pain is a frequent symptom in leprosy patients. It may be predominantly nociceptive, as in neuritis, or neuropathic, due to injury or nerve dysfunction. The differential diagnosis of these two forms of pain is a challenge in clinical pract…
View article: Quantitative PCR for leprosy diagnosis and monitoring in household contacts: A follow-up study, 2011–2018
Quantitative PCR for leprosy diagnosis and monitoring in household contacts: A follow-up study, 2011–2018 Open
Household contacts (HHC) of leprosy patients exhibit high-risk of developing leprosy and contact tracing is helpful for early diagnosis. From 2011 to 2018,2,437 HHC were examined in a clinic in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and 16S qPCR was used …
View article: Quantitative polymerase chain reaction in paucibacillary leprosy diagnosis: A follow-up study
Quantitative polymerase chain reaction in paucibacillary leprosy diagnosis: A follow-up study Open
The use of qPCR in suspected PB cases with an inconclusive histology improved the sensitivity of leprosy diagnoses.
View article: Neutrophil CD64 expression levels in IGRA-positive individuals distinguish latent tuberculosis from active disease
Neutrophil CD64 expression levels in IGRA-positive individuals distinguish latent tuberculosis from active disease Open
The positive regulation of CD64 expression in circulating neutrophils of patients with active TB could represent an additional biomarker for diagnosis of active TB and could be used for monitoring individuals with LTBI before progression o…
View article: Neutrophil CD64 expression levels in IGRA-positive individuals distinguish latent tuberculosis from active disease
Neutrophil CD64 expression levels in IGRA-positive individuals distinguish latent tuberculosis from active disease Open
BACKGROUND CD64 (FcγR1) is a high-affinity receptor for monomeric IgG1 and IgG3. Circulating neutrophils express very low amounts of CD64 on their surface. OBJECTIVES Our primary aim was to investigate the utility of neutrophil CD64 surfac…
View article: Blood coagulation abnormalities in multibacillary leprosy patients
Blood coagulation abnormalities in multibacillary leprosy patients Open
We demonstrated that leprosy MB patients develop a procoagulant status due to high levels of plasmatic fibrinogen, anti-cardiolipin antibodies, von Willebrand factor and soluble tissue factor. We propose that some of these components, fibr…
View article: The patterns of in vitro cell-death and inflammatory cytokines induced by distinct BCG vaccine strains are differentially induced in human mononuclear cells
The patterns of in vitro cell-death and inflammatory cytokines induced by distinct BCG vaccine strains are differentially induced in human mononuclear cells Open
Tuberculosis (TB) remains among the world's leading cause of mortality. For its control, studies of TB vaccines are needed. Since live-attenuated Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is the only TB vaccine currently in use, s…
View article: Genetic polymorphisms of the IL6 and NOD2 genes are risk factors for inflammatory reactions in leprosy
Genetic polymorphisms of the IL6 and NOD2 genes are risk factors for inflammatory reactions in leprosy Open
The pathways that trigger exacerbated immune reactions in leprosy could be determined by genetic variations. Here, in a prospective approach, both genetic and non-genetic variables influencing the amount of time before the development of r…
View article: Elevated Pentraxin-3 Concentrations in Patients With Leprosy: Potential Biomarker of Erythema Nodosum Leprosum
Elevated Pentraxin-3 Concentrations in Patients With Leprosy: Potential Biomarker of Erythema Nodosum Leprosum Open
In summary, our study provides in vivo evidence that PTX3 is enhanced during ENL but not in reversal reaction and provides a new molecular target in ENL pathogenesis.
View article: Multibacillary leprosy by population groups in Brazil: Lessons from an observational study
Multibacillary leprosy by population groups in Brazil: Lessons from an observational study Open
Public health policies for leprosy control in endemic areas in Brazil should include activities especially addressed to men and to the elderly in order to further reduce M. leprae transmission.
View article: Corticosteroid therapy in borderline tuberculoid leprosy patients co-infected with HIV undergoing reversal reaction: a clinical study
Corticosteroid therapy in borderline tuberculoid leprosy patients co-infected with HIV undergoing reversal reaction: a clinical study Open
A total of 22 HIV-positive and 28 HIV-negative cases were included. Loss of sensitivity and neural thickening were statistically significant while clinically ulcerated lesions were only observed in the co-infected group. Most patients were…
View article: Impact of a Reference Center on Leprosy Control under a Decentralized Public Health Care Policy in Brazil
Impact of a Reference Center on Leprosy Control under a Decentralized Public Health Care Policy in Brazil Open
The results of the present study demonstrated the importance of referral centers in support of basic health services within the decentralization strategy. But, the success of the program depends on the advent of new developmental tools to …
View article: Expression of CD64 on Circulating Neutrophils Favoring Systemic Inflammatory Status in Erythema Nodosum Leprosum
Expression of CD64 on Circulating Neutrophils Favoring Systemic Inflammatory Status in Erythema Nodosum Leprosum Open
Erythema Nodosum Leprosum (ENL) is an immune reaction in leprosy that aggravates the patient´s clinical condition. ENL presents systemic symptoms of an acute infectious syndrome with high leukocytosis and intense malaise clinically similar…