Determinants of self-medication with NSAIDs in a Portuguese community pharmacy

Licence CC BY-NC-ND http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/"Background: Non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are a widely used therapeutic group in the world, and particularly in the Portuguese population. Objective: To compare NSAID’s use by prescription and self-medication acquisition and to determine the pattern of indication of NSAIDs, their usage profile and possible implications for patients’ safety. Methods: A cross-sectional design was used where individuals presenting at a community pharmacy requesting NSAIDs during the study period (one month) were invited to answer a face-to-face interview where socio-demographic characteristics, the indication pattern and previous experience of side effects were assessed. A follow-up interview was performed one week later to assess the incidence of adverse effects. The study was ethically approved. Results: A sample of 130 NSAIDs users was recruited, comprising mostly women (n=87; 66.9%), actively employed (n=77; 59.2%) and presenting a mean age of 49.5 years old (SD=20.49). An equal proportion of individuals acquired NSAIDs by self-medication and with medical prescription (n=65; 50%). Over 4/5 of patients (n=57; 87.7%) acquiring NSAIDs without a prescription were self-medicated by their own initiative, and only 10.8% (n=7) had been advised by the pharmacist. The most commonly acquired active substances were ibuprofen and diclofenac. Self-medicated users more frequently resorted to topical NSAIDs following short term treatments. The major underlying condition motivating NSAIDs sought were musculoskeletal disorders (45.0%), regardless of the regimen. An important proportion of prevalent users of NSAIDs reported previous experience of adverse effects (11.3%). One week after initiating NSAID therapy, a small proportion of patients reported incidence of adverse effects. Conclusion: Self-medication with NSAIDs is sought for numerous medical conditions. Reported adverse effects (prevalent and incident) confirm the need for a more rational use of NSAIDs and ongoing pharmacovigilance.

Avaliação da resistência de cultivares de feijoeiro (Phaseolus spp.) a Meloidogyne javanica, para uso como porta-enxerto

Das diversas pragas e doenças que afetam o feijoeiro (Phaseolus spp.), encontram-se os nemátodes-das-galhas-radiculares (NGR), Meloidogyne spp., sendo amplamente conhecido o seu efeito devastador em culturas hortícolas. A principal estratégia de controlo assenta na aplicação de nematodicidas, que têm sido progressivamente restringidos. Têm sido consideradas técnicas de controlo alternativas, como a enxertia de hortícolas em porta-enxertos resistentes. Os objetivos do estudo foram: 1) conhecer a reação de cultivares de feijoeiro (Phaseolus vulgaris e P. coccineus) a Meloidogyne javanica, considerando o seu grau de suscetibilidade ou resistência; 2) avaliar a severidade dos danos causados nas raízes; e 3) inferir sobre a potencial utilização destas cultivares como porta-enxerto comercial de feijoeiro. Foi realizado um ensaio em vaso, com cinco repetições de cada uma de nove cultivares testadas, que decorreu numa sala de culturas com condições controladas. As plantas foram inoculadas com 5000 ovos e jovens de M. javanica; plantas não inoculadas serviram de testemunha negativa, sendo a testemunha positiva plantas de tomateiro cv. Tiny Tim reconhecidamente suscetível a M. javanica. Sessenta dias após a inoculação, procedeu-se à determinação do número de galhas e de massas de ovos nas raízes. Nenhuma das cultivares testadas foi completamente resistente ao nemátode. No entanto, através de uma análise comparativa, foi detetado um potencial de resistência nas cultivares Bencanta e Oriente, em que foram registados níveis do número de galhas, de massas de ovos e de reprodução dos nemátodes comparáveis aos de cultivares classificadas como resistentes. As cultivares Bencanta e Oriente revelaram resultados promissores relativamente à sua utilização como porta-enxertos resistentes a NGR, justificando-se uma investigação mais aprofundada para testar e avaliar a viabilidade da sua utilização na enxertia de feijoeiro, em condições controladas e no campo, e na presença de outras espécies de NGR.Evaluation of the resistance of common bean (Phaseolus spp.) to Meloidogyne javanica, for use as rootstocks. Among the numerous pests and diseases that affect common bean (Phaseolus spp.), root-knot nematodes (RKN), Meloidogyne spp., are the ones that stand out for their devastating effects on horticultural crops. The main control strategy is based on the application of nematicides, which have been 1 progressively restricted. Alternative nematode management methods have been considered, such as vegetable grafting using resistant cultivars. The objectives of this study were: 1) to know the reaction of nine cultivars of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris and P. coccineus) to Meloidogyne javanica, considering their degree of susceptibility and resistance; 2) to assess the severity of damage to the roots; and 3) to infer on the potential use of these cultivars as commercial bean rootstocks. A pot experiment was done under controlled conditions in a culture room, and each treatment consisted of five replicates. Plants were inoculated with 5000 eggs and second stage juveniles of M. javanica, with uninoculated plants serving as negative control and susceptible tomato plants cv. Tiny Tim being used as positive control. Sixty days after inoculation, roots were observed to determine the number of galls and egg masses. None of the tested cultivars was completely resistant to the nematode. However, through a comparative analysis, a potential for resistance was detected in Bencanta and Oriente cultivars, with levels of nematode-induced galls and egg masses comparable to those of cultivars classified as resistant. The Bencanta and Oriente cultivars showed promising results regarding their use as resistant rootstocks to RKN, justifying further research to test and assess the feasibility of their use in bean grafting, under controlled conditions and in the field, and in the presence of other species of RKN.Programa Estratégico UID/BIA/04050/2013 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007569), financiado por fundos nacionais através da Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, e pelo Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER), através do COMPETE 2020 – Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI)Empresa Alípio Dias & Irmão LdaEmpresa Tozer Iberica SLEscola Superior Agrária de Ponte de LimaLaboratório de Nematologia da Universidade de Coimbrainfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Temperature responsiveness of gilthead sea bream bone; an in vitro and in vivo approach

This study aimed to characterize the molecules involved in osteogenesis in seabream and establish using in vitro/in vivo approaches the responsiveness of selected key genes to temperature. The impact of a temperature drop from 23 to 13 degrees C was evaluated in juvenile fish thermally imprinted during embryogenesis. Both, in vitro/in vivo, Fib1a, appeared important in the first stages of bone formation, and Col1A1, ON and OP, in regulating matrix production and mineralization. OCN mRNA levels were up-regulated in the final larval stages when mineralization was more intense. Moreover, temperature-dependent differential gene expression was observed, with lower transcript levels in the larvae at 18 degrees C relative to those at 22 degrees C, suggesting bone formation was enhanced in the latter group. Results revealed that thermal imprinting affected the long-term regulation of osteogenesis. Specifically, juveniles under the low and low-to-high-temperature regimes had reduced levels of OCN when challenged, indicative of impaired bone development. In contrast, gene expression in fish from the high and high-to-low-temperature treatments was unchanged, suggesting imprinting may have a protective effect. Overall, the present study revealed that thermal imprinting modulates bone development in seabream larvae, and demonstrated the utility of the in vitro MSC culture as a reliable tool to investigate fish osteogenesis."Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad" (MINECO) [BES-2015-074654]; Portuguese Science Foundation (FCT) [SFRH/BPD/111512/2015, SFRH/BD/81625/2011]; MINECO, Spain [AGL2010-17324, AGL2014-57974-R]; "Generalitat de Catalunya" (XRAq); Generalitat de Catalunya [2014SGR-01371]; FCT, Portugal [CCMAR/Multi/04326/2013]; European Union [LIFECYCLE EU-FP7 222719]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Audio folios management system for foreign language learning

Teaching and learning using technology has, for some years, been the focus of various researchers. From vocational schools, through basic education to higher education, the use of teaching aids based on information technologies is now a common practice. Today, more than making large computing solutions to support the activities of e-learning, it is important to focus on software specific solutions whose cost of production/implementation has a quick return. In this context the need emerged to move forward with a system to support teaching and learning of foreign languages to facilitate communication between teachers and students. It is on this issue that we present a proposal to develop a computing solution that enables students to develop the skills of reading and speaking foreign languages within the classroom context or outside the classroom. In this specific case we address the English language. We also present a working prototype, which is available as freeware for the educational and the scientific community and can be used without restriction. Experimentally, tests were made with 20 volunteer students from ESTGL. They used the prototype, in order to validate the usability tests. Finally, we present some results that show the progression of learning in those students who used the syste

Sustainability of treatment technologies for industrial biowastes effluents

Despite the huge efforts to develop efficient technologies for the treatment of recalcitrant biowastes and other emerging pollutants, selecting the most sustainable method among the possible alternatives is still a formidable task. This is mainly because of the integration of technical, economic, environmental, and social criteria in decision-making process. Traditionally, various multi-criteria decision-making approaches have been adopted to integrate innumerable criteria for environmental applications. In this study, we have examined the fuzzy-Delphi approach to evaluate seventeen parameters for integrating technical, economic, environmental and social criteria in order to rank the nine treatment technologies divided in two categories (physico-chemical and biological processes). The results of this study indicated that although efficiency of treatment methods is the most important criterion, but contribution of other sustainability criteria should also be considered because they are of high importance for the selection of sustainable wastewater treatment methods. As per our proposed framework on membrane technologies (among the many other physico-chemical methods) and anaerobic sludge blanket technology (among the biological treatment methods) are the most promising approaches for the treatment of highly polluted emerging industrial pollutants. The findings of this study are fully supported by the consensus achieved by a group of fifty experts from nineteen different countries. Opportunities for the improvement of the methods as per data generated are discussed.publishe

Green synthesis of nanomaterials - a scientometric assessment

The green synthesis of engineered nanomaterials (NMs) has deserved an enormous academic interest and huge financial investments during the last decades. However, this prominent position has not been followed by the rapid commercialization of NMs for real applications thus rendering their practical usefulness very doubtful and the appropriateness of novel investments in the field highly questionable. The present manuscript presents the first scientometric study on the green synthesis of NMs aiming to survey the scientific progress in this particular field and identify its main gaps while providing applicable suggestions to facilitate the knowledge transfer from laboratories to real full scale production and applications. The research on green synthesis of nanomaterials published in Web of Science during the period 1991–2019 is here carefully analyzed. Overall, 9 scientometric indicators are employed to interpret the results retrieved from the 8761 documents collected. It is found that 107 countries and nearly 22,400 authors have contributed to this subject, hence highlighting the relevance of this topic. The keywords spectrum is dominated by the term “nanoparticle” which full adoption takes place at the beginning of the 21st century. Some few years later, a batch of words like “silver nanoparticle”, “gold nanoparticle” and “nanocomposite” reaches a significant impact reflecting the emergence of commercial applications for these nanomaterials. It is only in 2009 that the keyword “green synthesis” gains strength, followed then by “biosynthesis” in 2010, making it evident a trend towards environmentally friendly reagents. The number of publications on green synthesis of nanomaterials displays up to now a sigmoidal like growth pattern, which points actually to a decrease on new arrivals, thus suggesting a possible forthcoming decline in this field. However, the analysis carried out in the present work allows identifying various gaps related to sustainability, which, if appropriately addressed, may contribute to a resurgence of the research on nanomaterials synthesis while fostering more frugal approaches on material synthesis tendencies.publishe

Vibriosis outbreaks in aquaculture: addressing environmental and public health concerns and preventive therapies using gilthead seabream farming as a model system

Bacterial and viral diseases in aquaculture result in severe production and economic losses. Among pathogenic bacteria, species belonging to the Vibrio genus are one of the most common and widespread disease-causing agents. Vibrio infections play a leading role in constraining the sustainable growth of the aquaculture sector worldwide and, consequently, are the target of manifold disease prevention strategies. During the early, larval stages of development, Vibrio species are a common cause of high mortality rates in reared fish and shellfish, circumstances under which the host organisms might be highly susceptible to disease preventive or treatment strategies such as vaccines and antibiotics use, respectively. Regardless of host developmental stage, Vibrio infections may occur suddenly and can lead to the loss of the entire population reared in a given aquaculture system. Furthermore, the frequency of Vibrio-associated diseases in humans is increasing globally and has been linked to anthropic activities, in particular human-driven climate change and intensive livestock production. In this context, here we cover the current knowledge of Vibrio infections in fish aquaculture, with a focus on the model species gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata), a highly valuable reared fish in the mediterranean climatic zone. Molecular methods currently used for fast detection and identification of Vibrio pathogens and their antibiotic resistance profiles are addressed. Targeted therapeutic approaches are critically examined. They include vaccination, phage therapy and probiotics supplementation, which bear promise in supressing vibriosis in land-based fish rearing and in mitigating possible threats to human health and the environment. This literature review suggests that antibiotic resistance is increasing among Vibrio species, with the use of probiotics constituting a promising, sustainable approach to prevent Vibrio infections in aquaculture.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Intersubject variability of blood analysis reference values: assessment of age and locality influence by means of a linear discriminant analysis model

Glycemic and lipidic profiles might be influenced by several factors. The fact that the age group might alter the most extensively evaluated lipidic and glycemic parameters is a more or less well accepted fact. To verify this empirical notion, 996 human subjects aged between 21 and 90 years from different localities were characterized according to age. To assess lipid profile, total cholesterol and cholesterol associated with lipoprotein fractions (c-LDL and c-HDL) and triglycerides were determined. Regarding glycemic profile, glucose and glycated hemoglobin were measured. The majority of the population had values of lipidic parameters fit into the reference values, presenting low or moderate risk for developing cardiovascular disease. Blood glucose was often far above the desirable, but this can be devalued due to the HbA1c values, which were overwhelmingly located in the normal range. The categorization of data in different age groups did not allow defining statistically significant differences. Despite the discriminant linear model was presented, the results indicate that age group did not act as a strong discriminant factor. Somehow unexpectedly, the most significant differences were found among the different localities, which tended to show a similarity according with their latitude. Furthermore, there were no significant correlations in the parameters associated with lipidic profile, but there was a direct correlation between glucose levels and HbA1c (glycemic parameters)

Heterocyclic aromatic amines formation in grilled fatty fish

[resumo][abstract

Sustainability considerations in membrane-based technologies for industrial effluents treatment

Treatment of industrial effluents (EFs) from the polluted wastewater sources using membrane technologies is an effective and attractive alternative to overcome the weaknesses of some of the conventional wastewater treatment processes, especially when dealing with EFs loaded with recalcitrant organic pollutants and toxic substances. The application of various polymeric and inorganic membrane based technologies to be used for the treatment of industrial EFs has attracted a considerable attention in the past decades. In this regard, a critical discussion on the sustainability of various aspects of membrane technologies would promote the commercialization of these technologies. In this review, various sustainability criteria in technical, economic, environmental, and social categories have been considered for a critical discussion on the current status and improvement opportunities of membrane technologies for the treatment of industrial EFs. While the application of polymeric membranes has been restricted by some bottlenecks to deal with some industrial effluents, metal oxides fabricated ceramic membranes, and especially those fabricated with nanostructured materials such as nano-zeolites, those made of metal organic frameworks as well as carbon-based fabricated membranes have shown a promising performance in the rejection of recalcitrant organic pollutants. In addition, the combinations of inorganic membrane technologies with other novel methods such as advanced oxidation processes (e.g., using engineered nanomaterials) can be considered among the best options to deal with such highly polluted effluents.publishe