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Browsing by Author "Antunes, F"

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  • Population mobility and the changing epidemics of HIV-2 in Portugal
    Publication . Carvalho, A; Valadas, E; França, L; Carvalho, C; Aleixo, M; Mendez, J; Marques, R; Sarmento, A; Doroana, M; Antunes, F; Branco, T; Águas, M; Castro, R; Lazarus, J; Barros, H
    INTRODUCTION: Portugal is the European country with the highest frequency of HIV-2 infection, which is mainly concentrated in West Africa. The cumulative number of notified HIV-2 infections in Portugal was 1813 by the end of December 2008. To better characterize the dynamics of HIV-2 infection in the country and to obtain data that may be of use in the prevention of the spread of HIV-2, we evaluated a large pooled sample of patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Five Portuguese hospitals provided data on HIV-2-infected patients from 1984 to the end of 2007. Data concerning demographic characteristics and clinical variables were extracted. Patients were stratified according to date of diagnosis in approximately 5-year categories. RESULTS: The sample included 442 patients, accounting for 37% of all HIV-2 infections notified in Portugal during that period. HIV-2-infected patients showed clearly different characteristics according to the period of diagnosis. Until 2000, the majority of HIV-2-infected patients were Portuguese-born males living in the north of the country. From 2000 to 2007, most of the patients diagnosed with HIV-2 infection had a West African origin, were predominantly female and were living in the capital, Lisbon. The average age at diagnosis and loss to follow-up significantly increased over time. CONCLUSION: HIV-2 infection has been documented in Portugal since the early 1980s and its epidemiology appears to reflect changes in population movement. These include the movements of soldiers and repatriates from African territories during the independence wars and, later, migration and mobility from high-endemicity areas. The findings of this study stress the importance of promoting migrant-sensitive health care.
    2012Journal article Open access Show more
  • Sleep-related hypermotor epilepsy and peri-ictal hypotension in a patient with syntaxin-1B mutation.
    Publication . Peres, J; Antunes, F; Zonjyl, B; Mitchel, AL; Lhatoo, SD
    STX1B is a gene that encodes syntaxin-1B. STX1B mutations have recently been implicated in fever-associated epilepsy syndromes. However, these have not previously been reported in sleep-related hypermotor epilepsy. A 20-year-old man with a strong family history of epilepsy was investigated in our epilepsy monitoring unit due to uncontrolled epilepsy, compatible with sleep-related hypermotor epilepsy. Electroclinical and polygraphic physiological recordings revealed left frontal epileptiform discharges and prominent peri-ictal hypotension. Normal MRI using an epilepsy protocol prompted a search for a genetic epilepsy, which revealed a likely pathogenic mutation in the STX1B gene. The patient remained seizure-free after treatment optimization with carbamazepine. This case suggests that a sleep-related hypermotor epilepsy phenotype can be associated with syntaxin-1B gene mutation, and testing for this gene should be considered in such patients. Furthermore, it may also be concluded that autonomic dysfunction, characterized by peri-ictal hypotension, can also occur in this discorder. [Published with video sequences on www.epilepticdisorders.com].
    2018Journal article Restricted access Show more