Physician graduated at the University of the Region of Joinville, SC, Brazil.
Third year neurology Resident at the Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre
Impacts of environmental tobacco smoke on the onset and progression of multiple sclerosis: a systematic review Marco Antônio Machado Schlindwein, Marcelo Henrique de Moura Campos, Leticia Caroline Breis, Beatriz Sordi Chara, Clara Sasse Scherer, et al. Arquivos De Neuro Psiquiatria, 2024 Background Unlike cigarette smoking, environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) has not been as well described as an environmental risk for Multiple sclerosis (MS) nor as a risk factor for disease progression. Objective We systematically reviewed the association between ETS and the risk of onset and/or progression of MS. Methods We systematically screened MedLine/PubMed, Science Direct, LILACs, and SciELO searching for publications between January 1st, 2010, and July 5, 2021, with the following keywords: “multiple sclerosis and smoking”; “multiple sclerosis and passive smoking”; “multiple sclerosis and secondhand smoking”. Results Fifteen articles were included in this review, which consisted of systematic reviews with meta-analysis (N = 2), systematic reviews (N = 2), and observational studies (N = 11). Both meta-analyses reported an impact of ETS on MS onset among secondhand smokers. One of the systematic reviews selected two observational studies showing the association between ETS and MS development, and one study that did not find a significant association between ETS and the risk of MS development. The other systematic review identified selected eight articles showing a relationship between ETS and MS. Seven observational studies reported higher odds of MS onset when associated with ETS. Four observational studies did not show a relationship between ETS and MS onset or progression. Conclusion Most articles showed a positive association between ETS exposure and the risk of developing MS. On the other hand, an association between ETS and a higher risk for MS progression could not be established.
Central Nervous System Disorders Associated to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors Felipe Fanine de Souza, Julia Petry Trevisani, Letícia Caroline Breis, Luís Gustavo Marcelino Sizenando, Marco Antônio Machado Schlindwein, et al. Current Cancer Therapy Reviews, 2022 New therapies and alternatives for the containment of tumor progression are being proposed for the treatment of cancer. In this context, monoclonal therapies using Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors (ICI) come as a therapeutic proposal. They are responsible for immunological control by blocking PD-1, PD-L1 and CTLA-4 molecules. However, among the effects caused by therapy, the use of medications is associated with neurological diseases reported as an adverse effect, affecting the Central Nervous System (CNS) and causing a wide range of symptoms. In this regard, the present bibliographic review presents the main CNS disorders associated with this therapy, in addition to the incidence, symptoms and treatment of these diseases.
Neurological Complications of the COVID-19 Pandemic: What Have We Got So Far? Isabelle Pastor Bandeira, Marco Antônio Machado Schlindwein, Leticia Caroline Breis, Jean Pierre Schatzmann Peron, Marcus Vinícius Magno Gonçalves Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, 2021 The recently emerged coronavirus named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causal agent of COVID-19, is the newest threat to human health. It has already infected more than 54.5 million people worldwide, currently leading to more than 1.3 million deaths. Although it causes a mild flu-like disease in most patients, lethality may increase to more than 20% in elderly subjects, especially in those with comorbidities, like hypertension, diabetes, or lung and cardiac disease, and the mechanisms are still elusive. Common symptoms at the onset of illness are fever, cough, myalgia or fatigue, headache, and diarrhea or constipation. Interestingly, respiratory viruses have also placed themselves as relevant agents for central nervous system (CNS) pathologies. Conversely, SARS-CoV-2 has already been detected in the cerebrospinal fluid. Here, we discuss several clinical features related to CNS infection during COVID-19. Patients may progress from headaches and migraines to encephalitis, stroke, and seizures with leptomeningitis. However, the pathway used by the virus to reach the brain is still unknown. It may infect the olfactory bulb by retrograde neuronal transportation from olfactory epithelium, or it could be transported by the blood. Either way, neurological complications of COVID-19 add greatly to the complex pathophysiology of the disease. Neurological signs and symptoms must alert physicians not only to worst outcomes but also to future possible degenerative diseases.
COVID-19 pandemic and dysbiosis: Can the ivermectin hysteria lead to an increase of autoimmune neuroinflammatory diseases? J. P. S. Peron, H. I. Nakaya, M. A. M. Schlindwein, Marcus Vinicius Magno Gonçalves Critical Reviews in Immunology, 2020 The pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 has made new treatments a goal for the scientific community. One of these treatments is Ivermectin. Here we discuss the hypothesis of dysbiosis caused by the use of Ivermectin and the possible impacts on neuroinflammatory diseases after the end of the pandemic.
