Percorrer por autor "Duarte, Raquel"
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- Adapting to COVID-19: Insights from Portuguese residents' home-based lifePublication . Aguiar, Ana; Soares, Patricia; Barbosa, Pedro; Duarte, Raquel; Pinto, MartaBackground: The COVID-19 pandemic led to widespread lockdowns and remote work and educational practices that have impacted the lives of many families. Objective: We aimed to investigate how parents and caregivers altered their routines due to online schooling and teleworking, exploring their association with increased anxiety and depression symptoms. Methods: We conducted an online cross-sectional study and collected data through snowball sampling. We asked questions about age, gender, dwelling area, educational level, and marital status, as well as an open-ended question about teleworking and homeschooling - "Did your routine change due to your children being forced to stay home and take online classes? If so, please explain how it has influenced your personal and professional life, both positively and negatively". Thematic analysis was used to analyse the responses. Results: A total of 181 respondents, primarily women (72.4%), averaging 36.6 years old, holding bachelor's degrees (44.2%), were included. About 78.5% reported routine adjustments. Four salient themes emerged: 1) Perceived changes in professional and personal life, 2) Perceived changes in learning methods, 3) Mental health issues and 4) Perceived advantages of working from home with children at online school. Regarding mental health, 25.4% exhibited symptoms of anxiety, and 7.7% displayed depression symptoms, predominantly linked (80%) to the pandemic's impact. Conclusion: Family routines were disrupted, causing stress. In future crises, policymakers, public health experts, and researchers must acknowledge these challenges to mitigate negative consequences. Simultaneously, they should focus on strategies that enhance the positive aspects of restrictive measures and related policies.
- Clinical standards for antimicrobial stewardship in TB carePublication . Brehm, T T; Akkerman, O W; Sotgiu, G; Tiberi, S; Chang, K-C; Dheda, K; Duarte, Raquel; Vambe, D; Udwadia, Z F; Chesov, D; Mendelson, M; Iswari Saktiawati, A M; van Ingen, J; Eyuboglu, F O; Tängdén, T; Quang Vo, L N; Riccardi, N; Moschos, C; Friedland, J S; Lillebaek, T; Chandy, S J; Caminero, J A; Thwaites, G; Gandra, S; Thursky, K; George, I A; Konstantynovska, O; Fatima, R; Yim, J-J; Kwak, N; Olaru, I D; Gillespie, S H; Kherabi, Y; Perl, S H; Grønningen, E; Rodrigues, C; Bjerrum, S; Bange, F; Cox, V; Cirillo, D M; Saluzzo, F; Hara, G L; Wagner, D; Ismail, N; Sloan, D J; Eshun-Wilsonova, I; Zeng, M; Cantero, C; Vasankari, T; Mandalakas, A; Kay, A; Ness, T; Torrico, M M; Günther, G; Kuksa, L; Guglielmetti, L; García-Basteiro, A L; Marks, G B; Pulcini, C; Lange, CBackground: While antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) is essential for combating antimicrobial resistance (AMR), TB-specific AMS strategies remain poorly defined. Methods: An international panel of 62 experts participated in a Delphi process. Using a 5-point Likert scale (5 = strong agreement; 1 = strong disagreement), participants evaluated 10 draft clinical standards developed by a core coordination team. A standard was adopted if ≥90% of respondents rated it three or higher, according to a predefined consensus threshold. Results: All 10 standards reached the consensus threshold and were adopted: Standard 1, integration of TB into national AMR action plans; Standard 2, implementation of TB surveillance systems; Standard 3, education of health care providers, individuals affected by TB, and the public; Standard 4, integration of TB into AMS activities; Standard 5, establishment of expert consultation services; Standard 6, targeted testing and preventive treatment for individuals at risk for TB; Standard 7, access to timely and comprehensive drug susceptibility testing; Standard 8, prioritisation of efficacy, safety, and resistance prevention in TB treatment regimens; Standard 9, clinical and microbiological monitoring of treatment response; and Standard 10, assessment of adherence, drug exposure, and resistance in treatment failure. Conclusion: These clinical standards aim to support clinicians, programme managers, and public health authorities in implementing effective, TB-specific AMS strategies.
- Diagnostic accuracy and predictive value of the QuantiFERON-TB gold plus assay for tuberculosis in immunocompromised individuals: a prospective TBnet studyPublication . Sester, Martina; Altet-Gomez, Neus; Andersen, Åse Bengaard; Arias-Guillén, Miguel; Avsar, Korkut; Bakken Kran, Anne-Marte; Bothamley, Graham; Nordholm Breschel, Anne Christine; Brown, James; Chesov, Dumitru; Ciobanu, Nelly; Cirillo, Daniela Maria; Crudu, Valeriu; de Souza Galvao, Malu; Dilektasli, Asli Görek; Dominguez, José; Duarte, Raquel; Dyrhol-Riise, Anne Ma; Goletti, Delia; Hoffmann, Harald; Ibraim, Elmira; Kalsdorf, Barbara; Krawczyk, Marcin; Kunst, Heinke; Lange, Berit; Lipman, Marc; Matteelli, Alberto; Milkiewicz, Piotr; Neyer, David; Nitschke, Martin; Oral, Haluk Barbaros; Palacios-Gutiérrez, Juan José; Petruccioli, Elisa; Raszeja-Wyszomirska, Joanna; Ravn, Pernille; Rupp, Jan; Spohn, Hanna-Elisa; Toader, Corina; Villar-Hernandez, Raquel; Wagner, Dirk; van Leth, Frank; Martinez, Leonardo; Pedersen, Ole Skouvig; Lange, ChristophBackground: In low tuberculosis (TB)-endemic countries, tuberculosis preventive therapy (TPT) is recommended for immunocompromised individuals with a positive immunodiagnostic test. This study aimed to assess the performance of the QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT+) assay and predictive power for future tuberculosis in immunocompromised individuals. Methods: In this prospective observational study, immunocompromised adults ≥18 years of age including people living with HIV (PLHIV), chronic renal failure, rheumatoid arthritis, solid-organ transplantation or stem-cell transplantation, and immunocompetent adults with and without TB-disease were recruited at 21 sites in 11 European countries and tested with the QFT+ assay. Individuals without TB-disease were followed up for the development of tuberculosis. TB incidence rates (IR) were calculated, stratified by QFT+ results and acceptance of TPT. This study is registered with Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT02639936. Findings: A total of 2663 individuals (1115 female, 1548 male) were enrolled from 03/11/2015 to 29/03/2019. Persons without tuberculosis were followed up for at least two years. Among 1758 immunocompromised individuals without active tuberculosis, 13.6% had positive QFT+ results. Sensitivity and specificity for TB-disease were 70.0% (52.1-83.3%) and 91.4% (89.6-92.9%), respectively, in immunocompromised, and 81.4% (76.6-85.3%) and 96.0% (92.5-97.9%), respectively, in immunocompetent individuals. During 2457 cumulative years of follow-up among 932 individuals with chronic renal failure, rheumatoid arthritis, solid-organ transplantation or stem-cell transplantation, including 83 persons with a positive QFT+ test without TPT, no-one developed active tuberculosis. In contrast, among 642 PLHIV without TPT, one with an indeterminate QFT+ and 3/30 individuals with a positive QFT+ developed active tuberculosis; all had detectable HIV-replication and low CD4 T-cell counts (incidence 4.1 (95% CI (1.3-12.4) per 100 person-years). No individuals receiving TPT developed active tuberculosis during 269 years of follow-up. Interpretation: In immunocompromised individuals in low TB-endemic countries, the 2-year-risk for active tuberculosis was highest among PLHIV with detectable HIV-replication and low CD4-counts. In this study, the QFT+ assay did not strongly predict progression to active tuberculosis, which emphasises the need to incorporate additional risk factors.
- ERS Congress 2024: highlights from the Respiratory Infections AssemblyPublication . Jonckheere, Leander; Papadopoulou, Efthymia; Piedepalumbo, Federica; Akkerman, Onno W.; Duarte, Raquel; Premuda, ChiaraExtract: The 2024 European Respiratory Society (ERS) Congress in Vienna, Austria, brought together leading experts worldwide to address some of the most pressing challenges in respiratory medicine. In the field of respiratory infections, the congress highlighted notable advancements, particularly regarding pulmonary aspergillosis, tuberculosis (TB) and cystic fibrosis (CF), reflecting the rapidly evolving landscape in this area. This article aims to provide an overview of the key highlights from the congress in the field of respiratory infections, offering insights into the latest research, treatment innovations and ongoing challenges in managing these complex respiratory diseases.
- European guidelines for the management of tuberculosis screening procedures in migrants: A systematic reviewPublication . Pinheiro, Marina; Valente, Carolina; Cruz, Margarida; Nascimento Moreira, David; Aguiar, Ana; Duarte, RaquelBackground: This systematic review assesses the current available evidence across the WHO European region on the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the different approaches used for TB screening and also explores the facilitators and barriers that migrants face during screening programmes. Methods: We conducted an extensive, comprehensive, and systematic literature search across multiple databases, including MEDLINE, Cochrane, Scopus, and ISI Web of Knowledge, without any restrictions on publication date or language. In addition, we reviewed grey literature and reports. The data were meticulously analysed with a focus on screening of TB active disease and infection effectiveness indicators, and cost-effectiveness economic analyses as a primary objective and the comprehension of barriers and facilitators of screening as a secondary objective. Findings: Our review included 43 studies covering over 8 million migrants from 11 countries. The findings demonstrate that while screening uptake was high, coverage varied, and completion rates for preventive treatments were low. Economic analyses supported the high cost-effectiveness of the screening programmes, particularly when integrating both active TB and TBI screening strategies. Interpretation: This review underscores the cost-effectiveness and public health importance of TB screening in migrant populations within Europe. However, the disparities in screening practices highlight the urgent need for standardisation at the European level.
- Evaluation of a gene-by-gene approach for prospective whole-genome sequencing-based surveillance of multidrug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosisPublication . Macedo, Rita; Pinto, Miguel; Borges, Vítor; Nunes, Alexandra; Oliveira, Olena; Portugal, Isabel; Duarte, Raquel; Gomes, João PauloWhole-genome sequencing (WGS) offers unprecedented resolution for tracking Mycobacterium tuberculosis transmission and antibiotic-resistance spread. Still, the establishment of standardized WGS-based pipelines and the definition of epidemiological clusters based on genetic relatedness are under discussion. We aimed to implement a dynamic gene-by-gene approach, fully relying on freely available software, for prospective WGS-based tuberculosis surveillance, demonstrating its application for detecting transmission chains by retrospectively analysing all M/XDR strains isolated in 2013-2017 in Portugal. We observed a good correlation between genetic relatedness and epidemiological links, with strongly epilinked clusters displaying mean pairwise allele differences (AD) always below 0.3% (ratio of mean AD over the total number of shared loci between same-cluster strains). This data parallels the genetic distances acquired by the core-SNV analysis, while providing higher resolution and epidemiological concordance than MIRU-VNTR genotyping. The dynamic analysis of strain sub-sets (i.e., increasing the number of shared loci within each sub-set) also strengthens the confidence in detecting epilinked clusters. This gene-by-gene strategy also offers several practical benefits (e.g., reliance on freely-available software, scalability and low computational requirements) that further consolidated its suitability for a timely and robust prospective WGS-based laboratory surveillance of M/XDR-TB cases.
- Expert perspectives on tuberculosis screening procedures for migrantsPublication . Pinheiro, Marina; Moreira, David N.; Aguiar, Ana; Duarte, RaquelObjective: To evaluate the perspectives of tuberculosis experts from different countries regarding national screening procedures. Methods: This was a qualitative descriptive study. Data were collected by using electronic, anonymized surveys with experts in tuberculosis in seven different countries within two World Health Organization regions (Europe and Africa). Thematic analysis was employed. Results: The survey results indicate that there are varied perceptions of and experiences with national guidelines on screening for and treatment of tuberculosis (especially in the population tested), the appropriate timing of screening, types of tests, best practices, barriers, and limitations of the screening. The participants highlighted the importance of integrating health care services into the community to achieve people-centered health care. The study also sheds light on the importance of involving trained nurses and social workers in the screening process and of networks to ensure continuity of care. Conclusions: The overall perceptions of the respondents underscore the importance of standardized screening guidelines. The ongoing collaboration between public health services, the private sector, and the community is essential to reduce tuberculosis transmission, as well as to provide substantial public health and economic benefits.
- Exploring perspectives on the benefits of a tuberculosis short-treatment regimen: a cross-sectional study on treatment experiences and perceptionsPublication . Silva, Fernando Pereira da; Ramos, João Pedro; Barbosa, Pedro; Vieira, Mariana; Duarte, RaquelNo abstract available.
- The importance of getting the dose right in the treatment of tuberculosisPublication . Dudnyk, Andrii; Lutchmun, Wandini; Duarte, Raquel; Lange, Christoph; Svensson, Elin M.; on behalf of the UNITE4TB ConsortiumPrescribing the optimal combination of anti-tuberculosis drugs at the right dose is a fundamental step to achieve successful treatment outcomes. To aid the decision, clinicians should consider multiple factors, such as body weight, age, results of drug susceptibility testing, risk of intolerance and potential drug-drug interactions. In this viewpoint, we outline different aspects of dose selection in the treatment of tuberculosis (TB) such as traditional pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics, population pharmacokinetics models, the importance of real-world evidence and clinical trial design in the development of shorter treatment regimens and the new TB drug pipeline. Therapeutic drug monitoring for rifampicin, linezolid and amikacin may significantly improve their risk-benefit profile promoting their responsible administration. Precision dosing of novel, repurposed or conventional TB drugs should ensure optimal efficacy, while minimising toxicity and the development of resistance.
- Investigating the role of symptom valorisation in tuberculosis patient delay in urban areas in PortugalPublication . de Morais, Margarida; Sousa, Sofia; Marques, Jéssica; Moniz, Marta; Duarte, Raquel; Leite, Andreia; Soares, Patricia; Carreira, Mário; Pereira, Sofia; Alves, Catarina; Alves, Filipe; Rodrigues, Ana; Moreira, Ana; Cardoso, Márcia; Mota, Sandra; Gomes, Ana; Ferreira, Liliana; Lopes, Marta; Correia, Isabel; Rachadell, Juan; Gameiro, Maria; Dias, Ângela; Pereira, Manuel; Gonçalves, Jorge; Gonçalves, Maria; Taveira, Adriana; Neves, Celene; Silva, Lucinda; Mendes, Maria; Teixeira, Maria; Pereira, Maria; Piedade, Milena; Teixeira, Antónia; Carvalho, CarlosBackground: Diagnosis delay contributes to increased tuberculosis (TB) transmission and morbimortality. TB incidence has been decreasing in Portugal, but median patient delay (PD) has risen. Symptom valorisation may determine PD by influencing help-seeking behaviour. We aimed to analyse the association between symptom valorisation and PD, while characterising individuals who disregarded their symptoms. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among TB patients in Lisbon and Oporto in 2019 - 2021. Subjects who delayed seeking care because they did not value their symptoms or thought these would go away on their own were considered to have disregarded their symptoms. PD was categorised using a 21-day cut-off, and a 30-day cut-off for sensitivity analysis. We estimated the effect of symptom valorisation on PD through a directed acyclic graph. Then, a multivariable regression analysis characterised patients that disregarded their symptoms, adjusting for relevant variables. We fitted Poisson regression models to estimate crude and adjusted prevalence ratios (PR). Results: The study included 75 patients. Median PD was 25 days (IQR 11.5-63.5), and 56.0% of participants had PD exceeding 21 days. Symptom disregard was reported by 38.7% of patients. Patients who did not value their symptoms had higher prevalence of PD exceeding 21 days compared to those who valued their symptoms [PR 1.59 (95% CI 1.05-2.42)]. The sensitivity analysis showed consistent point estimates but wider confidence intervals [PR 1.39 (95% CI 0.77-2.55)]. Being a smoker was a risk factor for symptom disregard [PR 2.35 (95% CI 1.14-4.82)], while living in Oporto [PR 0.35 (95% CI 0.16-0.75)] and having higher household incomes [PR 0.39 (95% CI 0.17-0.94)] were protective factors. Conclusions: These findings emphasise the importance of symptom valorisation in timely TB diagnosis. Patients who did not value their symptoms had longer PD, indicating a need for interventions to improve symptom recognition. Our findings also corroborate the importance of the socioeconomic determinants of health, highlighting tobacco as a risk factor both for TB and for PD.
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