Ganglion Impar Neurolysis in the Management of Pelvic and Perineal Cancer-Related Pain.

Cancer-related pain is a very prevalent problem in all stages, with 10% of patients requiring invasive techniques for adequate pain management. Ganglion impar neurolysis has been used in the treatment of pelvic-perineal pain with efficacy and rare complications, but only a few case or series reports in cancer patients have been published. We report the case of a patient presenting with an ovarian carcinoma (FIGO stage IIIC), who had several disease relapses at the colorectal transition and need for palliative colic prosthesis. She presented later with anorectal pain associated with a rectovaginal fistula, which had an important impact on the activities of her daily life. She was submitted to two ganglion impar neurolyses, which resulted in improved pain control for a total of 5 months, an important improvement in her quality of life, and reduction of opioid consumption. The authors aim to alert to the importance of pain control and to address the fourth step of the WHO analgesic ladder as an option for cancer patients, including palliative patients.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Characterization of a rare analphoid supernumerary marker chromosome in mosaic

Abstract publicado em: Chromosome Research. 2015;23(Suppl 1):67-8. doi:10.1007/s10577-015-9476-6Analphoid supernumerary marker chromosomes (SMCs) are a rare subclass of SMCs C-band-negative and devoid of alpha-satellite DNA. These marker chromosomes cannot be identified unambiguously by conventional banding techniques alone being necessary to apply molecular cytogenetic methods in favour of a detailed characterization. In this work we report an analphoid SMC involving the terminal long arm of chromosome 7, in 9 years-old boy with several dysmorphic features and severe development delay. Cytogenetic analysis revealed a mosaic karyotype with the presence of an extra SMC, de novo, in 20 % of lymphocytes and 73 % of fibroblast cells. FISH analysis with alpha-satellite probes for all chromosomes, whole chromosome painting probe for chromosome 7, and D7S427 and TelVysion 7q probes, allowed establishing the origin of the SMC as an analphoidmarker resulting of an invdup rearrangement of 7q36-qter region. Affimetrix CytoScan HD microarray analysis, redefined the SMC to arr[hg19] 7q35(143696249-159119707)×2~3, which correspond to a gain of 15.42 Mb and encloses 67 OMIM genes, 16 of which are associated to disease. This result, combined with detailed clinical description, will provide an important means for better genotype-phenotype correlation and a more suitable genetic counselling to the patient and his parents, despite the additional difficulty resulting from being a mosaic (expression varies in different tissues). Analphoid SMCs derived from chromosome 7 are very rare, with only three cases reported so far. With this case we hope contribute to a better understanding of this type of chromosome rearrangements which are difficult for genetic counselling

Incorporation of industrial wastes in wood pellets

ABSTRACT: The present work evaluates the incorporation of industrial wastes (Refuse Derived Fuel-RDF) into biomass for pellet production. Its influence on parameters such as pellet production, combustion and gas emissions was studied for up to 10% of residues incorporation. This approach also deals with the diverting of industrial waste from landfills. The main objectives were: increasing the heat value of the final product, diverting industrial residues with energy potential from landfill and assess the quality of different types of pellets with incorporation of industrial residues. Its implementation was carried out in three phases: selection and characterization of the different industrial residues, production of pellets from different mixtures of wastes and combustion tests. For this purpose a comprehensive characterization of the pellets, the gaseous emissions during combustion and the chemical characterization of the resulting ashes was carried out. The study has shown that the application of industrial residues is a promising route for their incorporation in pellets which should be balanced by the reduction of wastes for landfill. However a few problems were identified: higher difficulty in pelletizing and likely excessive wear of the pellet mill for some of the residues; combustion equipment requiring air supply adjustment and higher ash contents

R&D Tax Incentives: How Do They Impact Portuguese Start-ups?

In this work, a comparison between start-up companies’ performance is made based on the way they use the Portuguese R&D tax credit program. From the analysis of the results, it is possible to verify that companies that benefit from this program have a distinct behavior from those that do not, either in what regards financial performance, the weight of the intangible assets in the company or in what regards the quality and value added of the jobs created. It is also possible to find that beneficiary companies mix the tax credits with the use of European, national and regional grants, thus mixing the funding available to support their Research, Development and Innovation activities

Validation and reliability analysis of the Portuguese language version of Needs of Parents Questionnaire

OBJETIVO: Descrever os procedimentos para a validação e análise de precisão da versão em português do Needs of Parents Questionnaire em contexto de hospitalização pediátrica em Portugal. MÉTODOS: Estudo descritivo com base em procedimentos para adaptação cultural e linguística de instrumentos de medição em saúde. A validação foi efetuada em uma amostra de 870 acompanhantes de crianças hospitalizadas em serviços de pediatria de quatro hospitais de Portugal, com idades compreendidas entre 2 dias de vida e 18 anos. A validade de conteúdo foi garantida por dois testes de compreensão realizados separadamente com pais de crianças hospitalizadas e com profissionais de saúde. A confiabilidade da versão em português foi avaliada através do teste de reprodutibilidade e determinação da coerência interna. RESULTADOS: Os resultados dos testes de compreensão e de coerência interna, obtidos pelo coeficiente alfa de Cronbach, são idênticos aos do autor original e satisfatórios para três subescalas, o que nos permite afirmar que o questionário tem propriedades psicométricas adequadas para a medição das necessidades dos pais. O questionário foi bem recebido pelos pais das crianças, que valorizam todas as necessidades, destacando a necessidade de confiar nos cuidados de saúde que são prestados à criança quando não estão presentes, a necessidade de ser confiável e as necessidades de informação. CONCLUSÕES: O questionário mostrou ser um instrumento de medição válido e preciso na avaliação das necessidades dos pais durante a hospitalização das crianças. A versão em português do Needs of Parents Questionnaire se encontra validada.OBJECTIVE: To describe the procedures followed for the validation and reliability analysis of the Portuguese version of the Needs of Parents Questionnaire in the context of pediatric hospitalization in Portugal. METHODS: This is a descriptive study based on procedures for the cultural and linguistic adaptation of health measurement tools. The validation was performed on a sample of 870 parents of hospitalized children in pediatrics departments from four hospitals in Portugal, with ages ranging from 2 days to 18 years. Content validity was assured by two cognitive debriefing meetings, separately organized with parents and staff. The reliability of the Portuguese version was assessed through reproducibility tests and internal consistency computation. RESULTS: Using Cronbach's alpha, results from the cognitive debriefing and internal consistency scores were similar to those obtained by the authors of the original version and good for the three subscales, allowing us to state that the questionnaire has the adequate psychometric properties to measure parents' needs. It was well accepted by parents, who valued all needs, especially the need to trust the care provided to their child when they are not present, as well as the need to be trusted and the need for information. CONCLUSIONS: The questionnaire proved to be a valid and reliable measurement instrument to assess the needs of parents during their pediatric hospitalizations. The Portuguese version of the Needs of Parents Questionnaire has been validated

Can artificial diets be a feasible alternative for the gonadal growth and maturation of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus (Lamarck, 1816)?

Paracentrotus lividus (Lamarck 1816) has high-value reddishorange gonads that are regarded as a delicacy. In this study, three jellified diets have been tested for 90 days to assess the effect of different diets on P. lividus somatic and gonadal growth, gonad color, and reproductive state. All diets contained agar as a gelling agent and consisted of: maize and spinach (A); maize, spinach, and macroalga Laminaria digitata (B); and maize, spinach, and pumpkin Cucurbita maxima (C). Diet B was the most successful in promoting somatic growth with regard to test diameter (1.2 mm month−1) and total wet weight (79.9 mg ind−1 day−1). The individuals from Diet A presented a higher final gonadosomatic index (9.07 ± 2.39%) where all sea urchins initially presented with an index of 3.33 ± 0.02%. Diets A and C led to a marked advance (p < .05) in the gametogenic cycle (66.7% and 46.7% of the individuals with mature gametes, respectively), while Diet B resulted in less-developed gonadal stages, which are more appropriate for commercial purposes in terms of sensorial characteristics appreciated by the consumers. The gonad color analyses confirmed a redder roe in females and also the suitability of C. maxima as a potential gonad color enhancer for P. lividus.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio