MATERIAL CHARACTERISATION OF A FLORENTINE PAINTER IN PORTUGAL IN THE LATE 19TH CENTURY: PAINTINGS BY GIORGIO MARINI

This paper presents the analytical characterisation of a series of paintings authored by Giorgio Marini (1836-1905) from the Museum of Évora. Marini was an Italian painter who lived in Portugal in the 19th century. He was a very prolific painter and his works, most of them portraits commissioned by urban and rural bourgeois and noble elites, are dispersed all over the country. The general good conservation state of most paintings prevented the collection of micro-samples for detailed study. Hence, material identification of the painting materials was performed primarily by XRF, given its non-destructive and non-invasive nature, and it was complemented when possible by auxiliary techniques optical microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and SEM-EDX. Pigments and fillers such as yellow and red ochre, lead white, zinc white, barium white, chrome yellow and green chrome are among the identified pigments. This is the first time the palette used by Giorgio Marini was identified, helping to characterised the pigments used by foreign painters during the 19th century in Portuga

Parotidite Como Primeira Manifestação de Infecção por VIH

Introdução: Actualmente, a maioria dos casos pediátricos de infecção por VIH é devida a transmissão materna do vírus. Na ausência de medidas de profilaxia, verificam se taxas de transmissão vertical do VIH-1 entre 15-25% na Europa Ocidental e Estados Unidos, 65% dos casos no peri-parto, 23% in útero e 12% no período pós-natal durante a amamentação. Caso clínico: Criança de 9 anos, sexo feminino, que recorre à urgência por febre, anorexia e tumefacção cervical com 2 dias de evolução. Dos antecedentes pessoais há a destacar: gravidez não vigiada, parto eutócico de termo, aleitamento materno até aos 3 anos e atraso do desenvolvimento estaturo-ponderal. Antecedentes patológicos de parotidite bilateral aos 5 anos e múltiplas cáries dentárias. À observação apresentava-se febril, emagrecida (peso < P5 e estatura no P5), com tumefacção cervical e retroauricular direitas, e aumento de volume das glândulas parótidas. Sem hepatoesplenomegalia e sem adenopatias palpáveis nas restantes cadeias ganglionares periféricas. Analíticamente, VS de 90 mm/h, sem outras alterações relevantes. Ecografia cervical mostrou adenofleimão e alterações compatíveis com parotidite. Internada com a hipótese diagnóstica de adenofleimão cervical e medicada com penicilina e clindamicina endovenosas (ev). Realizou serologias para VIH, com positividade para VIH tipo 1, confirmado por Western Blot. Contagem de linfócitos T CD4+ de 240 células/mm3. Carga viral de 3,82 x 103 cópias de RNA/mL. Genótipo HLA-B*5701 negativo. Confirmada infecção VIH 1 materna por Western Blot. Diagnóstico prévio de infecção VIH no período neonatal ocultado pela mãe. Restantes serologias negativas, assim como a pesquisa de BK no suco gástrico e o estudo do lavado bronco-alveolar. Ao 17º dia de internamento foi realizada punção do adenofleimão e alterada a antibioticoterapia para flucloxacilina ev (7 dias de terapêutica). Pesquisa de micobactérias e fungos no pús drenado negativa. Durante o internamento manteve-se clinicamente estável, iniciando profilaxia para Pneumocystis jirovecii com cotrimoxazol, e terapêutica anti-retroviral (Lamivudina, Abacavir, Lopinavir/Ritonavir), com melhoria clínica, virulógica e imunológica. Conclusões: Este caso ilustra um exemplo de transmissão vertical do VIH-1 caracterizado por uma evolução crónica, cuja apresentação cursou com parotidite, um dos sinais indicadores de infecção VIH

The retable of the chapel of Our Lady of Mercy in the cloister of Oporto’s Cathedral: study, conservation and restoration

The retable located in the Chapel of Our Lady of Mercy, in the cloisters of Oporto’s cathedral, dates back to the 17th century. Artistically, it belongs to a transition period between the Mannerism and the Baroque styles. The artistic value and the lack of documented information about the artwork led to the development of a project contemplating its the study. Both chemical and physical analyses - observation of the support, micro-FTIR and SEM-EDS - suggest that the retable was carved in sweet chestnut wood, accordingly to the techniques used at the time. The retable presents water-gilded areas contrasting with blue and red phytomorphic motifs. The polychromed areas were later covered with lead white paint. There were also evidences of previous conservation-restoration interventions. The frail condition of the retable’s materials testified the need to conserve and restore it. Among other procedures, the materials were consolidated and the lacunae were filled and inpainted - partially regenerating the artwork’s aesthetic unit

Characterization of polymorphic microsatellite loci in the Antarctic krill Euphausia superba

Background: The Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba is a pelagic crustacean, abundant in high-density swarms (10 000 – 30 000 ind/m2) with a circumpolar distribution and a key role in the food web of the Southern Ocean. Only three EST derived microsatellite markers have been used in previous genetic studies, hence we developed additional highly polymorphic microsatellite markers to allow robust studies of the genetic variability and population differentiation within this species. Findings: The microsatellite markers described here were obtained through an enriched genomic library, followed by 454 pyrosequencing. A total of 10 microsatellite markers were tested in 32 individuals from the Antarctic Peninsula. One of the tested loci was fixed for one allele while the other was variable. Of the remaining nine markers, seven showed no departure from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The mean number of alleles was 14.9. Conclusions: These markers open perspectives for population genetic studies of this species to unravel genetic structure, dispersal and population biology, vital information for future conservation.Peer Reviewe

Carga de trabajo de los enfermeros en unidades de cuidados intensivos: relevancia del Nursing Activities Score

[Extrato] INTRODUCCIÓN: La investigación reciente en el dominio del comportamiento organizacional, principalmente por lo que se refiere a la gestión en enfermería, sobresale la necesidad de una previsión de la carga de trabajo de los enfermeros, pues se trata de un factor mayor de determinación de un equipo capaz que asegure una gestión conveniente de los cuidados y de los recursos accesibles. Se destaca así, en este contexto, el Nursing Activities Score – NAS (Miranda et al., 2003) como instrumento que permite evaluar la carga de trabajo de los enfermeros tomando como base el tiempo utilizado en las actividades de enfermería...info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

COVID-19 in a Tertiary Paediatric Centre in Portugal: a Single-Centre Retrospective Study

Objective: To describe the demographic, clinical, laboratory and imaging features of the first 300 SARS-CoV-2-infected children presenting to a tertiary paediatric centre in Portugal. Design: Single-centre, retrospective, descriptive study of paediatric patients who had a confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection from 7 March to 20 September 2020. Setting: Tertiary paediatric referral centre (Hospital Dona Estefânia, Lisbon, Portugal). Patients: 18 years or younger. Main outcome measures: Incidence, mortality, age of infection, clinical characteristics, treatment prescribed and outcome. Results: Three hundred patients with confirmed COVID-19 presented to the centre. One hundred and seventeen (39%) patients were admitted to the hospital: 69 with COVID-19 and 48 for other reasons. The most common symptoms in children admitted with COVID-19 were fever (49) and cough (38). Six patients required intensive care. Two children died and seven reported short-term sequelae. Conclusions: COVID-19 is usually a mild disease in children, but a small proportion of patients develop severe and critical disease. Fatal outcomes were rare and only occurred in children with severe previous medical conditions.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Exposition of cork oak roots to cryptogein reduced the Infection by Phytophtora cinnamomi

The oomycete P. cinnamomi has been described as strong contributing factor to the decline of cork oak and holm oak stands occurring in the Iberian Peninsula. There are no eradication methods available against this pathogen

Alpha cinnamomin elicits a defence response against Phytophthora cinnamomi in Castanea sativa

Phytophthora cinnamomi and P. cambivora are considered as the causal agents of Castanea sativa ink disease. These soil-borne plant pathogens invade and destroy the root system leading to the death of the trees. Most Phytophthora species secrete elicitins, a group of unique highly conserved proteins that are able to enhance plant defence responses in a systemic acquired resistance manner against infection by several pathogens. A cluster of four elicitin genes was identified in P. cinnamomi. In previous works one of these elicitins, α- cinnamomin was shown to restrict the invasion of root cortical tissues by P. cinnamomi preventing vascular colonization in cork and holm oak. In the present work, roots of chestnut plantlets grown in vitro were allowed to absorb α-cinnamomin at 100 μg/ml for two days before being inoculated with P. cinnamomi. The effects of this elicitin on host-pathogen interaction were studied at histological and ultrastructural levels. P. cinnamomi was restricted to the outer cortex of 65% of the roots pre-treated with α-cinnamomin. In these roots, the vascular cylinders were free of pathogen. On the contrary, the pathogen reached the vascular cylinder, penetrating the phloem and xylem vessels in all non-treated assayed roots. The signs of pathogen degradation in the cortical parenchyma, mainly in the intercellular spaces, and the increase of a physical barrier in epidermal and sub-epidermal cell wall-media lamella and intercellular spaces by impregnation with phenol-like compounds strongly suggest that α-cinnamomin induced in chestnut defence reactions against P. cinnamomi

Rifampicin-Resistant Serotype B Neisseria meningitidis: First Case in Portugal

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Avaliação do comportamento agronómico de porta-enxertos tolerantes à tristeza dos citrinos

A detecção no nosso país de alguns núcleos de plantas infectadas com o citrus tristeza virus (CTV), impôs a necessidade de desenvolver um plano de prevenção, nomeadamente através do incentivo da substituição progressiva dos porta-enxertos susceptíveis por porta-enxertos tolerantes. Com a identificação do seu principal vector (Toxoptera citricidus Kirk.) em finais 2003, nas regiões de Entre-Douro e Minho e de Trás-os-Montes é de prever que a dispersão da doença ocorra mais rapidamente. As novas plantações utilizam na sua maioria as citranjeiras Troyer e Carrizo, que nem sempre se mostram adequadas às condições edafo-climáticas existentes. Considerando esta problemática, a Direcção Regional de Agricultura do Algarve, em colaboração com outras entidades (Universidade do Algarve e Centro de Citricultura), tem vindo a desenvolver estudos conducentes à adaptação de novos porta-enxertos, com o objectivo de diversificar as opções existentes relativamente aos condicionalismos da região. Com este objectivo foi instalado em Tavira, em Maio de 1998, num solo calcário, um ensaio de campo para avaliação do comportamento de 11 clones de porta-enxertos (T. Sunki x P. trifoliata FAO 30590; Citranjeira Troyer B2 FAO 31655; T. Cleopatra x P. trifoliata FAO 30584; T. Cleopatra x C. Carrizo FAO 30575; Laranjeira Gou Tou B7; Citrandarineira 31443; Laranjeira azeda B6C-T1; Tangerineira Changsa; Tangerineira Sunki; Tangerineira Cleópatra; Citranjeira Troyer 4 AS). Durante três anos, as plantas foram submetidas a três níveis de salinidade da água de rega, expressos pela condutividade eléctrica da água de rega ECw – 1; 3 e 6 dS.m-1, obtidos através de um esquema experimental fonte dupla gota-a-gota. Foram medidos vários parâmetros agro-ambientais, como o desenvolvimento vegetativo das plantas e o aumento da condutividade eléctrica do extracto de saturação do solo (medido no extracto aquoso). Os resultados obtidos mostram que os porta-enxertos com maior tolerância à salinidade foram o clone de laranjeira azeda B6C-T1 e a laranjeira Gou Tou.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio