Esquizofrenia – patologia e terapêutica

Dissertação de mest., Ciências Farmacêuticas, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Univ. do Algarve, 2012A Esquizofrenia é uma patologia psiquiátrica com uma prevalência mundial aproximada de 1% e que provavelmente engloba várias patologias. Não parece distinguir raça, sexo ou idade, mas manifesta-se geralmente na idade adulta, podendo apresentar três fases sintomatológicas: a fase prodrómica, a fase psicótica e a fase residual. O curso da patologia é variável, assim como a extensão dos sintomas. De patologia com um prognóstico de demência inevitável no século XIX, passou a condição psiquiátrica extensamente estudada, em que a hipótese de remissão completa, apesar de diminuta, encontra-se documentada. O diagnóstico da Esquizofrenia, como sucede com a grande maioria dos transtornos mentais e demais psicopatologias, não pode ser efetuado através da análise de parâmetros fisiológicos ou bioquímicos e resulta apenas da observação clínica cuidadosa das manifestações do transtorno ao longo do tempo. A fisiopatologia da Esquizofrenia conheceu avanços científicos e tecnológicos e com eles surgiram evidências de anomalias estruturais e funcionais no cérebro de indivíduos esquizofrénicos. A interação genética e ambiental constitui a hipótese etiológica mais estudada, apresentando-se, até agora, como a teoria mais sólida e reprodutível. Os fármacos antipsicóticos vieram direcionar os ensaios fisiopatológicos para os sistemas de neurotransmissão cerebrais, mostrando resultados promissores. Estes não constituem o único tratamento da Esquizofrenia, mas são o seu foco principal, devido à eficácia nos sintomas psicóticos. Outros tratamentos devem ser aconselhados, uma vez que a farmacoterapia antipsicótica não cobre todo o espectro sintomatológico da Esquizofrenia. Clínicos e familiares devem trabalhar em conjunto para aumentar a qualidade de vida dos doentes, desenvolvendo estratégias individualizadas e baseadas na prática clínica. Mais de 100 anos de pesquisa acerca desta patologia ainda não conseguiram entender completamente o puzzle que é a Esquizofrenia, no entanto muito progresso ocorreu nas últimas duas décadas e muito ainda está por vir

Ethical and Forensic Issues in the Medico-Legal and Psychological Assessment of Women Asylum Seekers

Asylum-seeking migrants represent a vulnerable segment of the population, and among them, women constitute an even more vulnerable group. Most of these women and girls have been exposed to threats, coercion, and violence of many kinds, including rape, forced prostitution, harassment, sexual slavery, forced marriage and pregnancy, female genital mutilation/excision, and/or other violations of their rights (e.g., deprivation of education, prohibition to work, etc.). The perpetrators of the violence from which they flee are often their own families, partners, and even institutional figures who should be in charge of their protection (such as police officers). In the process for the acceptance/rejection of an asylum application, the forensic and psychological certification can make the difference between successful and unsuccessful applications, as it can support the credibility of the asylum seeker through an assessment of the degree of compatibility between the story told and the diagnostic and forensic evidence. This is why constant and renewed reflection on the ethical, forensic, and methodological issues surrounding medico-legal and psychological certification is essential. This article aims to propose some reflections on these issues, starting from the experience of the inward healthcare service dedicated to Migrant Victims of Maltreatment, Torture, and Female Genital Mutilation operating since 2018 at the Institute of Forensic Medicine of the University Hospital of Palermo

Evaluation of a bacteriocin-producing strain of pediococcus acidilactici as a biopreservative for "alheira", a fermented meat sausage

This study was conducted to evaluate the ability of Pediococcus acidilactici HA-6111-2, a PA-1 bacteriocinproducing lactic acid bacterium (LAB), isolated from ‘‘Alheira” to inhibit a cocktail of Listeria innocua strains during production and shelf-life of these products. The bacteriocinogenic culture reduced the Listeria population below the detection limit (1.5log CFU/g) and had no effect on the growth of the natural LAB flora or on the pH. Pathogenic organisms were not detected in any sample. The presence of some virulence factors and antibiotic resistances of the strain to be used as a bioprotective culture were investigated. P. acidilactici HA-6111-2 did not produce any of the biogenic amines tested; no formation of biofilms was observed; more L(+)lactic acid was produced than its isomer D(-); no gelatinase, DNase or lipase activity was recorded; no structural genes for the haemolysin, enterococcal surface protein, hydrolytic compounds, aggregation protein and cell-wall adhesins were detected, no significant antibiotic resistances were found. P. acidilactici HA-6111-2 appears to have potential as a bioprotective culture during ‘‘Alheira” fermentation. Moreover, a trained panel considered the protected product to be sensorially acceptable

Toxicological Analysis in Tissues Following Exhumation More Than Two Years after Death (948 Days): A Forensic Perspective in a Fatal Case

Exhumations are performed in accordance with a court order and are crucial instruments in the investigation of death allegations. When a death is thought to be the result of drug misuse, pharmaceutical overdose, or pesticide poisoning, this process may be used on human remains. However, after a protracted postmortem interval (PMI), it might be difficult to detect the cause of death by looking at an exhumed corpse. The following case report reveals problems associated with postmortem drug concentration changes following exhumation more than two years after death. A 31-year-old man was found dead in a prison cell. Onan inspection of the place, two blister packs, one with a tablet and the other empty, were taken and kept by the police officers. The evening before, the deceased would have taken cetirizine and food supplements consisting of carnitine–creatine tablets. No relevant autopsy findings have been observed. The toxicological analysis was performed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry and was negative for substances of abuse. Proteomic analysis was positive for creatine detection and negative for other drugs (clarithromycin, fenofibrate, and cetirizine). The presented case shows the methods, the findings, and the limitations of toxicological analysis in an exhumation case with a long postmortem interval (PMI)

A Methodology for the Design of Safety-Compliant and Secure Communication of Autonomous Vehicles

International audience; The automotive industry is increasing its effort towards scientific and technological innovations regarding autonomous vehicles. The expectation is a reduction of road accidents, which are too often caused by human errors. Moreover, technological solutions, such as connected autonomous vehicle platoons, are expected to help humans in emergency situations. In this context, safety and security issues do not yet have a satisfactory answer. In this paper, we address the domain of secure communication among vehicles - especially the issues related to authentication and authorization of inter-vehicular signals and services carrying safety commands. We propose a novel design methodology, where we take a contract-based approach for specifying safety, and combine it in the design flow with the use of the Arrowhead Framework to support security. Furthermore, we present the results through a demo, which employs model-based design for software implementation and the physical realization on autonomous model cars