Jozélio Freire De Carvalho

• MD, PhD
• Medical Doctor at Federal University of Bahia

Objective. Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a disease characterized by recurrent thrombosis in the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies. The most uncommon events described in the literature have been peripheral neurological disorders. This paper aims to systematically review the cases of peripheral neuropathy (PN) in APS patients. Methods. We...

Background Although using Rituximab (RTX) and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) alone or sequentially is a well-established treatment for several autoimmune diseases, the combination of these two forms of therapy is still rare, and its use is poorly studied. Aim To perform a systematic review on the use of RTX associated with IVIG in autoimmune co...

Hearing loss may be found in patients with systemic autoimmune disorders such as connective tissue diseases (CTD). This work aimed to review the literature on ear involvement in CTD. A systematic search of articles published in PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, and SCOPUS from 1966 to June 2023 following PRISM guidelines was done. Seventy-nine papers were se...

Foot reflexology (FR) is a Chinese-originated and non-invasive complementary therapy increasingly used by functional, alternative and para-medical professionals. Enhance attempts are made to study FR in non-functional organic conditions. The present invited Editorial discusses the application of FR in autoimmune diseases (AD), highlighting a few su...

Background: The use of IL-6 blocking agents has been proposed as a therapeutic option for COVID-19 pneumonia in view of the involvement of this cytokine in inflammation. Tocilizumab is the most widely evaluated IL-6 blocker within this context. In this review we looked at the evidence for safety, efficacy and outcomes of tocilizumab treatment for C...

Case Report Varicella Arthritis in a Young Patient Jozélio Freire de Carvalho 1,* Ana Tereza Amoedo Martinez 2,3 1 Núcleo de Pesquisa em Doenças Crônicas não Transmissíveis (NUPEC), School of Nutrition, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador 40170-110, Brazil 2 Rheumatology Department, Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana, Feira de Santana 4403...

Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease (VKH) is a multisystem autoimmune disorder affecting pigmented tissues such as the eye, auditory, integumentary, and central nervous systems. Patients are typically females between 20 and 50 years old with no previous history of penetrating ocular trauma. The clinical course of VKH is divided into four phases: prodromal...

Addison’s disease (AD) is the most common cause of primary adrenal insufficiency, and it is characterized by deficient production of glucocorticoids and/or mineralocorticoids by adrenals. The symptoms and signs of adrenal insufficiency vary from nausea, vomiting, anorexia, and abdominal pain to fever, weakness, fatigue, lethargy, and confusion, whi...

Subacute or chronic orchitis includes mainly non-infectious etiologies and also rarely autoimmune orchitis (AO). This urological condition is characterized by testicular inflammation with the presence of antisperm antibodies leading to immobilization and/or agglutination of spermatozoa, which blocks sperm–egg contact, with consequent infertility. A...

Background Hyaluronic acid (HA) has been largely used in clinical practice for rheumatic diseases. However, the effects of oral HA on these diseases are poorly understood. Aim To review articles evaluating oral HA’s effects on rheumatic patients. Methods PubMed was searched for articles on oral HA and rheumatic diseases between 1966 and May 2024....

Magnesium is an essential mineral for the human body, and its deficiency causes multiple detrimental cellular and organ dysfunctions. The issue of its routine supplementation is debatable, but there is no doubt that in case of depletion, it should be supplemented. Because of its role in inflammatory and autoimmune conditions, its serum levels have...

Homeopathy has mainly been used to treat several diseases. On the other hand, it has been used in a few rheumatic disorders. The aim of this article is to review the use of homeopathy in rheumatic diseases (RDs). PubMed and Embase databases were examined for literature on homeopathy and RDs between 1966 and April 2023. There are 15 articles found w...

To systematically review the literature for cases using homeopathy in which complete healing was observed. Scielo, Pubmed, CINAHL, and Embase databases were systematically screened for case reports and series of patients successfully cured by homeopathy between 1966 and August 2022. Language limitation was not used. Forty-nine articles, comprising...

High-dose cyclophosphamide without stem cell rescue is a radical therapy for refractory autoimmune diseases. The objective was to review the results of high-dose cyclophosphamide without stem cell rescue in autoimmune diseases. PubMed, Scielo, and Embase databases were systematically searched for articles on high-dose cyclophosphamide without stem...

Introdução: A osteomalacia é uma deficiência da mineralizaçãoóssea, resultando em na fragilidadeóssea e predisposição a fraturas. Diversas, são as etiologias envolvidas, sendo a mais frequente a deficiência de vitamina D, predispondoà, hipocalcemia, hipofosfatemia e hiperparatireoidismo secundário. Alguns pacientes podem ser assintomáticos, porém,...

It is an Editorial of launching the new journal Graduate and Postgraduate Medical Journal, an Open acces journal for all areas of medicine.

Patients with fibromyalgia (FM) have innumerable complaints due to the central amplification of somatic stimuli. The aim of this paper was to review the ear complaints in patients with FM. A review of articles published in PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus from 1966 to June 2023 was performed. Seventeen papers were included in the...

Objective Fibromyalgia (FM) subjects are treated with antidepressant agents; in most cases, these drugs lose efficacy or have adverse effects. Ketamine is an anesthetic drug used in FM in some studies. This article aims to systematically review the safety and efficacy of ketamine in fibromyalgia (FM) patients. Materials and methods We systematical...

Cannabis has been used in rheumatic diseases as therapy for chronic pain or inflammatory conditions. Herein, the authors systematically review the rheumatological diseases in which cannabis has been studied: systemic sclerosis, fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, polymyalgia rheumatica, gout, dermatomyositis, and psori...

Objective: To describe a young patient with scorpion sting (SS) with typical lesions of urticaria besides the local SS clinical picture. Materials and methods: A systematic screening of articles dating from 1966 to 2021 was conducted in the main databases. All articles included the association between SS and urticaria. A new case report is added to...

Objective: This study aimed to use a meta-analysis to evaluate whether vitamin D supplementation can improve critically ill patients' parameters.Materials and Methods: A systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis was performed using the electronic databases PubMed, Cochrane, Medline, and Scielo. The selected studies are randomized contro...

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) has been reported in rare cases following COVID-19 vaccination, raising concerns about potential autoimmune triggers. Herein, we describe the third documented case of diffuse SSc post-vaccination in a 22-year-old woman with no prior autoimmune history. Symptoms, including Raynaud's phenomenon, polyarthritis, and sclerodacty...

Background Homeopathy has been used in observational and controlled studies to treat patients with fibromyalgia (FM), but none has previously used the remedy Cannabis sativa. Case History A 51-year-old female patient presenting with diffuse pain and sleep disorder was diagnosed with FM using the relevant American College of Rheumatology criteria. S...

Resveratrol is an antioxidant with anti-inflammatory and cell-protective properties. The aim of our article is to review the use of resveratrol in rheumatic diseases. PubMed/Medline, Embase, and Scielo were screened for articles on resveratrol and rheumatic diseases in the period between of January 1966 and March 2023. Five articles were depicted,...

Objective To compare clinical and laboratory data obtained from patients with primary Antiphospholipid Syndrome (PAPS) with and without limb ischemia (LI). Methods A transverse study with 66 (83.3% female) PAPS patients was performed. All data were evaluated. Patients were subdivided into one of two groups: PAPS with LI and PAPS without LI and com...

Background Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is an adrenal hormone used to treat rheumatic conditions such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), Sjogren’s syndrome (SS), rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with controversial results. Aim To review the results of DHEA use in rheumatic diseases. Methods PubMed, Scielo, Scopus, and Embase databases were systemat...

Steroid pulse therapy (SPT) is a widespread therapeutic modality used in life-threatening situations or severe diseases. However, it seems to have cardiovascular side effects. To review the cardiac complications of SPT. To search PubMed for articles on the cardiovascular complications of SPT between 1966 and August 2022 in the Scielo, Pubmed, and E...

Documentos eclesiásticos depositados na biblioteca do Vaticano contêm relatos da história da civilização e daprópria Medicina, dentre eles, eventos reconhecidos pela Igreja Católica como “milagres de cura” analisados segundoum rígido protocolo. A Reumatologia como especialidade médica é recente, mas as doenças reumáticas são relatadasdesde os primó...

Background: Melatonin is a pineal hormone with a complex role. It is linked to sleep, inflammatory, oxidative, and immunological processes. Aim: To review the use of melatonin supplementation in rheumatological diseases. Methods: A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, and Scielo databases was performed, looking for articles on Melatonin and rh...

Background: Naltrexone has been approved for alcohol and opioid abuse by the FDA. At low-dose naltrexone (LDN) has been used in several diseases including chronic pain and autoimmune conditions, including rheumatic disorders. Aim: To review the use of LDN in rheumatic diseases: systemic sclerosis (SSc), dermatomyositis (DM), Sjögren's syndrome (...

S-adenosylmethionine has been used to treat neuropsychiatric diseases, including those accompanied with depression. These entities often are comorbid with rheumatic and thyroid pathology, and in the COVID-19 pandemic and post-pandemic periods, there was a growing number of such cases. That’s why the article evaluates the experience and perspectives...

Introduction: Acne is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the pilosebaceous unit, and there are conflicting evidences regarding its association with metabolic syndrome (MS) and insulin resistance (IR). Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed with 162 acne patients, over 20 years of age, matched for age and sex with 78 healthy control...

Background Few studies have described lymphocytic interstitial pneumonia (LIP) in Sjögren's syndrome (SS). We aimed to analyze the clinical, therapeutic, and outcome of patients with SS and LIP. Methods We searched for articles in PubMed/MEDLINE, LILACS, SciELO, and Cochrane from 1966 to 2020, in English, Spanish, French, Chinese, and Japanese lit...

Objective The purpose of this study was to describe the management of 2 long-term users of cannabis with nutrition and psychotherapy. Clinical Features A 28-year-old man presented with a medical history of asthma, depression, anxiety, and smoking, and was a long-term user of cannabis for 9 years (usually 3 times a week). A 39-year-old man presente...

Introdução: a síndrome antifosfolípide (SAF) é caracterizada por eventos trombóticos e perdas gestacionais de repetição sendo considerada a trombofilia adquirida mais comum. Objetivo: realizar uma revisão narrativa da passagem transplacentária de anticorpos em pacientes com SAF. Metodologia: revisão narrativa da literatura. Resultados: quando não e...

Background: Fibromyalgia (FM) patients are treated with antidepressants, and in most cases, these drugs lose efficacy or present side effects. Intravenous lidocaine (IL) is an anesthetic drug used in some FM trials. Aim: To systematically review the safety and efficacy of IL in FM patients. Methods: To systematically search PubMed for articles...

Background To describe for the first time a patient with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) successfully treated with cycling, and marked improvement of his physical performance after nutraceuticals. Case report A 63-year-old male with a diagnosis of AS. He received several kinds of drugs. He practices physical activity since he was a teenager, and cycli...

Personality traits have been shown to contribute to the development and persistence of fibromyalgia (FM)-related symptoms. The aim of this study was to identify the most prevalent personality factor in Brazilian female FM patients, using the Factorial Personality Battery (FPB) and comparing patients to age-matched healthy controls. This was a cross...

This study illustrates two patients who developed autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants (ASIA) with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) after silicone breast implant (SBI) and improved after SBI extraction.

This study aimed to describe a patient with Sjögren syndrome who developed Plummer-Vinson syndrome, and to review the literature and describe shared aspects of this rare association. A systematic screening of articles was conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE, LILACS, SciELO, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane, dating 1940 to 2020. All the articles include...

Obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, cancer and smoking are risk factors for negative outcomes in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which can quickly induce severe respiratory failure in 5% of cases. Coronavirus disease-associated liver injury may occur during progression of SARS-CoV-2 in patients...

This paper aims to analyze the clinical, therapeutic, and evolutionary characteristics of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) that is associated with gastroparesis. We have systematically researched articles published in Pubmed, MEDLINE, LILACS, and Scielo dating from 1966 to April 2020. All the researched articles are based on gastrop...

Introduction: Acute myocardial infarct/angina (AMI-A) is a possible complication in primary antiphospholipid syndrome (pAPS) patients. This study compares data obtained from pAPS patients with and without AMI-A. Methods: This cross-sectional study of 66 (85.2% female) pAPS patients (Sidney criteria). Demographics, clinical data, medication use, and...

Objective: The aim of the study was to report about a patient with discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) who developed antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) 12 years after DLE diagnosis and review related literature. Patients and methods: This is a case report of a 34-year-old woman with DLE who developed APS. A review of articles published in the PubMed/...

Objective: To compare clinical and laboratory data obtained from patients with primary antiphospholipid syndrome (pAPS) above and below 165 cm of height. Patients and methods: A cross-sectional study with 66 (83.3% female) pAPS patients was performed. Demographic, clinical, drug use, and antiphospholipid antibodies data were evaluated. Patients...

Chikungunya virus infection (CKV) is an arbovirosis transmitted by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquito. It is now an established infection in the tropical areas of the world, and it has emerged as a significant public health concern in the last 10–15 years. Several autoimmune manifestations have been linked to this viral infection. Rheumato...

This is the description of a rare, documented association of sacroiliitis with symphysitis pubis. A 37-year-old woman experienced low back pain since 2009 with inflammatory characteristics (worse at rest, improvement during movement) associated with morning stiffness of 2 hours. Her X-ray demonstrated sacroiliitis. A magnetic resonance image (MRI)...

Sydenham’s chorea is a cardinal manifestation of rheumatic fever, but it is more common in girls. We describe two boys who developed Sydenham’s chorea and were successfully treated. Case 1: A 5-year-old boy started an involuntary movement of his hand, progressing to all the upper limbs, bilaterally. The family observed a deterioration in his handwr...

Herein, we describe a patient with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) associated with nonradiographic axial spondyloarthritis (NRAS). A 31-year-old woman with a past medical history of uveitis experienced a pulmonary thromboembolism in March 2014 and was treated with rivaroxaban (20 mg/day). Five months later, she started complaining of low back pain....

Objective: To compare clinical and laboratory data obtained from patients with primary Antiphospholipid Syndrome (pAPS) with and without Thrombotic Microangiopathy (TMA). Patients and methods: A cross-sectional study with 66 (83.3% female) pAPS patients was performed. Demographic, clinical, drug use, antiphospholipid antibodies data were evaluat...

Background: Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) is a narrowing of the lumbar canal causing lower back pain, gluteal pain, and neurogenic claudication. LSS has been associated with cardiovascular co-morbidities. Metabolic syndrome (MetS), a pro-inflammatory condition involving a cluster of risk factors for cardiovascular disease and diabetes, is increasin...

Introduction. Chikungunya virus infection (CKV) may lead to chronic arthritis in up to 40% of the patients. There are previous data regarding positive auto antibodies in CKV. Objective is to systematically evaluate the prevalence of auto antibodies in CKV patients. Methods. All study participants had clinical manifestations being CKV positive at le...

Aim To study the clinical and laboratory findings between patients with primary Antiphospholipid Syndrome (pAPS) with and without LR. Background Livedo Reticularis (LR) is a common manifestation of Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS). Although no previous study evaluated patients with and without LR. Methods A transversal study including 66 pAPS pati...

Objective: To describe a young patient who had a Bothrops envenomation (BE) and evolved with shock and subcapsular liver hematoma. Moreover, a review on BE and liver hematoma was also performed. Patients and methods: A systematic screening of articles was conducted and all articles on the association between BE and liver hematoma were included....