Raquel Matavele Chissumba

Centro de Investigação e Desenvolvimento em Etnobotanica (CIDE) & Instituto Nacional de Saúde (INS)

A Primeira Edição do Simpósio Nacional em Etnobotânica 2024 reuniu investigadores, profissionais, decisores e a sociedade civil para debater sobre os desafios actuais e futuros relacionados com as quatro áreas temáticas da Etnobotânica acima referidas, de modo a contribuírem com propostas de soluções para melhorar a qualidade de vida nas nossas com...

Background Alterations in haematological, biochemical parameters and cytokine levels, were reported in patients with COVID-19, however, there is an underrepresentation of the African population, which could provide evidence for understanding SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis and useful tools for clinical management of cases. In this study, we aimed to determ...

Introduction: Sub-Saharan Africa has a high burden of HIV, particularly among female sex workers (FSW) and men who have sex with men (MSM). Future clinical trials to evaluate vaccines and other interventions to prevent HIV will need to enroll populations with high HIV incidence. We conducted an observational study of HIV incidence among men and wo...

Patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), a subtype of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), often present with severe leucocytosis and thrombocytopenia, which may lead to symptoms that require prompt diagnosis and treatment. Immu-nophenotyping combined with cytomorphology is a valuable tool for identifying APL patients. We describe the case of a 9...

The mycobacteriological analysis of sputum samples is the gold standard for tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment monitoring. However, sputum production can be challenging after the initiation of TB treatment. As a possible alternative, we therefore investigated the dynamics of neutrophil-derived soluble inflammatory mediators during TB treatment in...

Background: PrEP literacy is influenced by many factors including the types of information available and how it is interpreted. The level of PrEP literacy may influence acceptability and uptake. Methods: We conducted 25 in-depth interviews in a HIV vaccine trial preparedness cohort study. We explored what participants knew about PrEP, sources of Pr...

Background: PrEP literacy is influenced by many factors including the types of information available and how it is interpreted. The level of PrEP literacy may influence acceptability and uptake. Methods: We conducted 25 in-depth interviews in a HIV vaccine trial preparedness cohort study. We explored what participants knew about PrEP, sources of...

HIV infection causes systemic immune activation, impacts TB disease progression and hence may influence the diagnostic usability of Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific T cell profiling. We investigated changes of activation and maturation markers on MTB-specific CD4+ T-cells after anti-tuberculosis treatment initiation in relation to HIV status and...

The detection of vaccine-induced HIV antibody responses by rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) may confound the interpretation of HIV testing results. We assessed the impact of vaccine-induced seroreactivity (VISR) on the diagnosis of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa. Samples collected from healthy participants of HIVIS and TaMoVac HIV vaccine trials after the...

Background: Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) causes impairment of T and B cell responses, which begins during the acute phase of infection and is not completely restored by antiretroviral treatment. Regulatory T cell (Tregs) can improve overall disease outcome by controlling chronic inflammation but may also suppress beneficial HIV-1 sp...

Introduction: Rotavirus A (RVA) is a leading cause of acute infant gastroenteritis in Mozambique, responsible for approximately 13,000 annual infant deaths in peri-urban and other areas. Aim: the present review aimed summarize the most relevant and recent literature regarding RVA infection in Mozambique. Methods: the documents were obtained from el...

Profile of acute leukemias in Mozambique

Introdução: O vírus Herpes simplex tipo 2 (HSV-2) é uma infecção comum em todo o mundo e uma das principais causas de úlcera genital. A infecção por HSV-2 está associada a um risco aumentado de transmissão do HIV e outras ISTs. Objectivos: Avaliar a prevalência e incidência do HSV-2 em participantes (18-35 anos) de um estudo de coorte de incidência...

Background: Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) causes impairment of T and B cell responses, which begins during the acute phase of infection and is not completely restored by antiretroviral treatment. Regulatory T cell (Tregs) can improve overall disease outcome by controlling chronic inflammation, but may also suppress beneficial HIV-1 sp...

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, uncoordinated national responses have been observed around the world which have contributed to the difficulties in controlling the spread of the virus. This lack of dialogue between nations reflects several key determinants including the lack of platforms for non-English speaking researchers...

Aflatoxins gained increased recognition in Mozambique due to their negative impact on health, food security, and trade. Most contamination occurs in peanuts, maize, and their products. Nevertheless, there is little awareness, probably because the press and mass media do not disseminate enough information. This study analyzed the quantity and qualit...

Antibody responses that correlated with reduced risk of HIV acquisition in the RV144 efficacy trial were assessed in healthy African volunteers who had been primed three times with HIV-DNA (subtype A, B, C) and then randomized into two groups; group 1 was boosted twice with HIV-MVA (CRF01_AE) and group 2 with the same HIV-MVA coadministered with su...

Introduction In many African countries, laboratory reference values are not established for the local healthy adult population. In Mozambique, reference values are known for young adults (18-24yo) but not yet established for a wider age range. Our study aimed to establish hematological, biochemical and immunological reference values for vaccine tri...

Introduction Mozambique continues to have a significant burden of HIV. Developing strategies to control the HIV epidemic remains a key priority for the Mozambican public health community. The primary aim of this study was to determine HIV prevalence and risk behavior among males and females screened for a HIV vaccine preparedness study in Maputo, M...

Background: Little is known about regulatory CD4 T cells (Tregs) in the context of HIV vaccines. Tregs can be differentiated into resting (FoxP3+CD45RA+ - rTregs), activated (FoxP3HighCD45RA- - aTregs) and memory (FoxP3LowCD45RA- - mTregs). Tregs, as CD4 T cells, are also frequent targets for HIV infection. We studied how the abundance and phenoty...

Background: The acute phase of HIV infection is characterized by massive depletion of CD4 T cells, high viral plasma levels and pronounced systemic immune activation. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) have the potential to control systemic immune activation but also to suppress antigen specific T and B cell response. The co-expression of FoxP3 and Helios...

Regulatory CD4 T cells (Tregs) are critical in maintaining the homeostasis of the immune system. Quantitative or phenotypic alterations and functional impairment of Tregs have been associated with the development of pathologies including those of the central nervous system. Individuals with HIV-1/HTLV-1 co-infection are more prone to develop neurol...

Background: In sub-Saharan Africa, HSV-2 infection is common , and increases risk of HIV transmission and acquisition. TFV gel applied before and after vaginal intercourse provided partial protection from HSV-2 acquisition in CAPRISA 004. We assessed efficacy of 1% vaginal TFV gel in preventing HSV-2 acquisition in women in the VOICE Study, a 5-arm...

CD4+ T-cell counting is usually performed on whole blood obtained from standard venipuncture. Venipuncture requires expertise, results in discomfort and generates biological waste. Capillary blood could be used to measure the levels of CD4+ T-cell in children, elderly and very ill patients. We studied the agreement between CD4+ T-cell counts and pe...