Enterovirus D68. Vírus emergente também em Portugal?

Em colaboração com o Centro Hospitalar Lisboa CentralIntrodução: Em Setembro de 2014, nos EUA, ocorreu a emergência do enterovirus (EV) D68, com morbilidade e mortalidade significativas por complicações respiratórias e neurológicas. A população pediátrica foi a mais atingida. Em Portugal esta infecção não tinha sido ainda descrita. Objectivo Identificar o EV68 e caracterizar estas infecções num hospital pediátrico terciário português. Métodos: Identificação do EV68 por PCR-TR multiplex nas secreções respiratórias, em crianças com doença respiratória grave e neurológica, entre Novembro de 2015 e Fevereiro de 2016. A análise filogenética foi feita pelo estudo das regiões genómicas VP1/VP3. Resultados: Identificados 18 doentes, com mediana de idade de 2 anos (máx 6anos, mín 22dias). Registou-se prematuridade em 56% casos e sibilância recorrente em 33%. Os diagnósticos foram infecção respiratória baixa (13), infecção respiratória alta (3) e outros (2) (convulsão febril, paralisia facial periférica). O padrão radiológico foi intersticial (9), segmentar (2) e em quatro casos normal. Registaram-se co-infecções em 9/18 (50%) casos: influenza AH1N1, adenovírus, Rhinovirus, Bocavirus, Bordetela pertussis, Campylobacter, Micobacterium tuberculosis. Ocorreram complicações em 9/18 (50%) doentes: hipoxemia (8), desidratação e insuficiência renal aguda (1). A duração média do internamento foi 5 dias. Todos evoluíram favoravelmente. Comentários. O EV68 circula também no nosso país, mas sem a gravidade descrita nos EUA. Poderão existir alterações da sua virulência, imunidade protectora na nossa população mas outros factores ainda desconhecidos devem também ser ponderados. O número de casos num curto período de tempo e as coinfecções foram superiores ao descrito noutros locais da Europa.N/

Desenvolvimento e caracterização de OLEDs para fins decorativos

Mestrado em Engenharia FísicaEste trabalho foca essencialmente o fabrico e completa caracterização de OLEDs para fins de iluminação decorativa. Os dispositivos foram fabricados por evaporação térmica usando small molecules. Foram obtidos resultados que mostram a viabilidade das soluções de estrutura que foram usadas, nomeadamente o brilho, a pureza de cor e as relativamente boas curvas de corrente-tensão que mostram igualmente a possível viabilidade em termos comerciais. Como conclusão final, este trabalho mostra que efetivamente é possível com soluções de estruturas simples fabricar e desenvolver OLEDs para os fins acima descritos.This work focuses essentially on the conception and complete characterization of OLEDs for luminous decoration purposes. The devices were produced by thermal evaporation of small molecules. The results obtained demonstrate that the viability of the used structures, mainly the brightness levels, the colour purity and the reasonably acceptable current-voltage behaviour show that these devices are equally viable to extend to commercial production. As a final conclusion, this work shows that effectively it is possible with simple structure solutions to produce and develop OLEDs for the purposes described above

Peginterferão α2-a na co-infecção VHB – VH delta – Um caso de duplo sucesso terapêutico

ResumoO vírus da hepatite D (VHD) é um vírus satélite, que necessita do vírus da hepatite B (VHB) para a sua replicação. Na maioria dos casos, o VHD suprime a replicação do VHB e, nestas circunstâncias, está recomendado o tratamento com Interferão. Nos doentes em que não se observa resposta virológica após o 1.° ano de terapêutica, o seu prolongamento pode aumentar a taxa de resposta virológica sustentada.Caso clínicoHomem, 42 anos, com hepatite crónica B, anti-HBe positivo e baixa carga viral. Apresentava aminotransferases aumentadas que persistiram, mesmo após negativação do ADN-VHB. A positividade da fração IgM do AcVHD conduziu ao diagnóstico de co-infecção VHB-VHD. Foi tratado com PegInterfeão α-2a durante 102 semanas. Observou-se normalização das aminotransferases à 33.ª semana, negativação da IgM do AcVHD à 88.ª semana e resposta virológica sustentada com perda do AgHB.ComentáriosEste caso ilustra a importância de se manter o tratamento nos doentes com infecção VHD até resposta virológica, uma vez que a cura do VHD pode acompanhar-se da cura da infecção VHB.AbstractHepatitis D virus (HDV) is a satellite virus which needs hepatitis B virus (HBV) for its replication. In most cases, HDV suppresses HBV replication and in these circumstances the treatment should be with Interferon. In patients that have no virological response after the 1th year of therapy, continuing it will possible increase the virological response and the loss of the HBs antigen.Case report42 years old man with chronic HBV, anti-HBe positive and low HBV viral load. He had increased transaminases which had persisted even after HBV-DNA negativation. We performed antibody anti-HDV that came positive and treated the patient with PegInterferon α-2a during 102 weeks. We assist to normalization of the transaminases at week 33 and negativation of IgM-HVD at week 88. At the end of the treatment RNA-HDV was negative and the patient lost HBs antigen that persisted over the next sixth months.CommentsThis case illustrates the importance of maintaining treatment until HDV virological response since the cure of the HDV may be accompanied by the cure of HBV infection

An overview of portuguese wordnets

Semantic relations between words are key to building systems that aim to understand and manipulate language. For En- glish, the “de facto” standard for representing this kind of knowledge is Princeton’s WordNet. Here, we describe the wordnet-like resources currently available for Portuguese: their origins, methods of creation, sizes, and usage restrictions. We start tackling the problem of comparing them, but only in quantitative terms. Finally, we sketch ideas for potential collaboration between some of the projects.(undefined

As Wordnets do Português

Series: "Oslo Studies in Language". ISSN 1890-9639. 7(1), 2015.Not many years ago it was usual to comment on the lack of an open lexical- semantic knowledge base, following the lines of Princeton WordNet, but for Portuguese. Today, the landscape has changed significantly, and re- searchers that need access to this specific kind of resource have not one, but several alternatives to choose from. The present article describes the wordnet-like resources currently available for Portuguese. It provides some context on their origin, creation approach, size and license for utilization. Apart from being an obvious starting point for those looking for a computational resource with information on the meaning of Portuguese words, this article describes the resources available, compares them and lists some plans for future work, sketching ideas for potential collaboration between the projects described.CLUPFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Hemispheric asymmetry of motor cortex excitability in mood disorders – Evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis

Funding Information: Funding: GC was supported by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) through a PhD Scholarship (SFRH/BD/130210/2017). AJO-M is supported by grant FCT-PTDC/MEC-PSQ/30302/2017-IC&DT-LIS BOA-01-0145-FEDER, funded by national funds from FCT/MCTES and co-funded by FEDER, under the Partnership Agreement Lisboa 2020 - Programa Operacional Regional de Lisboa. GC and AJO-M are supported by grant FCT-PTDC/MED-NEU/31331/2017, funded by FCT/MCTES. This project was funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 777167. AJO-M was national coordinator for Portugal of a noninterventional study (EDMS-ERI-143085581, 4.0) to characterize a Treatment-Resistant Depression Cohort in Europe, sponsored by Janssen-Cilag, Ltd (2019–2020), is recipient of a grant from Schuhfried GmBH for norming and validation of cognitive tests, and is national coordinator for Portugal of trials of psilocybin therapy for treatment-resistant depression, sponsored by Compass Pathways, Ltd (EudraCT number 2017-003288-36 and 2020-001348- 25), and of esketamine for treatment-resistant depression, sponsored by Janssen-Cilag, Ltd (EudraCT NUMBER: 2019-002992-33).Objective: Mood disorders have been associated with lateralized brain dysfunction, on the left-side for depression and right-side for mania. Consistently, asymmetry of cortical excitability, as measured by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has been reported. Here, we reviewed and summarized work assessing such measures bilaterally in mood disorders. Methods: We performed a systematic review and extracted data to perform meta-analyses of interhemispheric asymmetry of motor cortex excitability, assessed with TMS, across different mood disorders and in healthy subjects. Additionally, potential predictors of interhemispheric asymmetry were explored. Results: Asymmetry of resting motor threshold (MT) among healthy volunteers was significant, favoring lower right relative to left-hemisphere excitability. MT was also significantly asymmetric in major depressive disorder (MDD), but with lower excitability of the left -hemisphere, when compared to the right, no longer observed in recovered patients. Findings on intracortical facilitation were similar. The few trials including bipolar depression revealed similar trends for imbalance, but with lower right hemisphere excitability, relative to the left. Conclusions: There is interhemispheric asymmetry of motor cortical excitability in MDD, with lower excitability on left when compared to right-side. Interhemispheric asymmetry, with lower right relative to left-sided excitability, was found for bipolar depression and was also suggested for healthy volunteers, in a pattern that is clearly distinct from MDD. Significance: Mood disorders display asymmetric motor cortical excitability that is distinct from that found in healthy volunteers, supporting the presence of lateralized brain dysfunction in these disorders.publishersversionpublishe

Editorial

Este primeiro número de 2019 da Revista Forum Sociológico integra o dossiê temático “Habitação nas áreas urbanas de Lisboa e Porto : Da comunidade aos decisores”, coordenado por Gonçalo Antunes, Madalena Corte-Real, Maria João Gomes e Marianna Monte, composto por artigos produzidos a partir de contributos apresentados e debatidos numa conferência organizada no âmbito do projeto Urbanólogo em Fevereiro de 2018. Em 2017, a equipa do Urbanólogo decidiu alargar o seu raio de ação e, além de dinam..

Large-Scale Evaluation of Candidate Genes Identifies Associations between VEGF Polymorphisms and Bladder Cancer Risk

Common genetic variation could alter the risk for developing bladder cancer. We conducted a large-scale evaluation of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in candidate genes for cancer to identify common variants that influence bladder cancer risk. An Illumina GoldenGate assay was used to genotype 1,433 SNPs within or near 386 genes in 1,086 cases and 1,033 controls in Spain. The most significant finding was in the 5′ UTR of VEGF (rs25648, p for likelihood ratio test, 2 degrees of freedom = 1 × 10(−5)). To further investigate the region, we analyzed 29 additional SNPs in VEGF, selected to saturate the promoter and 5′ UTR and to tag common genetic variation in this gene. Three additional SNPs in the promoter region (rs833052, rs1109324, and rs1547651) were associated with increased risk for bladder cancer: odds ratio (95% confidence interval): 2.52 (1.06–5.97), 2.74 (1.26–5.98), and 3.02 (1.36–6.63), respectively; and a polymorphism in intron 2 (rs3024994) was associated with reduced risk: 0.65 (0.46–0.91). Two of the promoter SNPs and the intron 2 SNP showed linkage disequilibrium with rs25648. Haplotype analyses revealed three blocks of linkage disequilibrium with significant associations for two blocks including the promoter and 5′ UTR (global p = 0.02 and 0.009, respectively). These findings are biologically plausible since VEGF is critical in angiogenesis, which is important for tumor growth, its elevated expression in bladder tumors correlates with tumor progression, and specific 5′ UTR haplotypes have been shown to influence promoter activity. Associations between bladder cancer risk and other genes in this report were not robust based on false discovery rate calculations. In conclusion, this large-scale evaluation of candidate cancer genes has identified common genetic variants in the regulatory regions of VEGF that could be associated with bladder cancer risk

A Negative Feedback Loop That Limits the Ectopic Activation of a Cell Type–Specific Sporulation Sigma Factor of Bacillus subtilis

Two highly similar RNA polymerase sigma subunits, σF and σG, govern the early and late phases of forespore-specific gene expression during spore differentiation in Bacillus subtilis. σF drives synthesis of σG but the latter only becomes active once engulfment of the forespore by the mother cell is completed, its levels rising quickly due to a positive feedback loop. The mechanisms that prevent premature or ectopic activation of σG while discriminating between σF and σG in the forespore are not fully comprehended. Here, we report that the substitution of an asparagine by a glutamic acid at position 45 of σG (N45E) strongly reduced binding by a previously characterized anti-sigma factor, CsfB (also known as Gin), in vitro, and increased the activity of σG in vivo. The N45E mutation caused the appearance of a sub-population of pre-divisional cells with strong activity of σG. CsfB is normally produced in the forespore, under σF control, but sigGN45E mutant cells also expressed csfB and did so in a σG-dependent manner, autonomously from σF. Thus, a negative feedback loop involving CsfB counteracts the positive feedback loop resulting from ectopic σG activity. N45 is invariant in the homologous position of σG orthologues, whereas its functional equivalent in σF proteins, E39, is highly conserved. While CsfB does not bind to wild-type σF, a E39N substitution in σF resulted in efficient binding of CsfB to σF. Moreover, under certain conditions, the E39N alteration strongly restrains the activity of σF in vivo, in a csfB-dependent manner, and the efficiency of sporulation. Therefore, a single amino residue, N45/E39, is sufficient for the ability of CsfB to discriminate between the two forespore-specific sigma factors in B. subtilis

Localization of the Bacillus subtilis murB Gene within the dcw Cluster Is Important for Growth and Sporulation

The Bacillus subtilis murB gene, encoding UDP-N-acetylenolpyruvoylglucosamine reductase, a key enzyme in the peptidoglycan (PG) biosynthetic pathway, is embedded in the dcw (for “division and cell wall”) cluster immediately upstream of divIB. Previous attempts to inactivate murB were unsuccessful, suggesting its essentiality. Here we show that the cell morphology, growth rate, and resistance to cell wall-active antibiotics of murB conditional mutants is a function of the expression level of murB. In one mutant, in which murB was insertionally inactivated in a merodiploid bearing a second xylose-inducible PxylA-murB allele, DivIB levels were reduced and a normal growth rate was achieved only if MurB levels were threefold that of the wild-type strain. However, expression of an extra copy of divIB restored normal growth at wild-type levels of MurB. In contrast, DivIB levels were normal in a second mutant containing an in-frame deletion of murB (ΔmurB) in the presence of the PxylA-murB gene. Furthermore, this strain grew normally with wild-type levels of MurB. During sporulation, the levels of MurB were highest at the time of synthesis of the spore cortex PG. Interestingly, the ΔmurB PxylA-murB mutant did not sporulate efficiently even at high concentrations of inducer. Since high levels of inducer did not interfere with sporulation of a murB(+)PxylA-murB strain, it appears that ectopic expression of murB fails to support efficient sporulation. These data suggest that coordinate expression of divIB and murB is important for growth and sporulation. The genetic context of the murB gene within the dcw cluster is unique to the Bacillus group and, taken together with our data, suggests that in these species it contributes to the optimal expression of cell division and PG biosynthetic functions during both vegetative growth and spore development