Tumores cardíacos primários : classificação, diagnóstico e tratamento

Os tumores cardíacos primários são entidades pouco frequentes. A sua prevalência situa-se entre os valores de 0,17% a 0,19% em estudos necróticos não seleccionados e constituem cerca de 0,2% da actividade operatória de cirurgia cardíaca. Cerca de 75% dos tumores cardíacos primários são benignos sendo os mais frequentes classificados em mixoma, lipoma, rabdomioma, fibroma, fibroelastoma papilar. Dos anteriormente mencionados o mixoma representa aproximadamente 50% dos casos em adultos. Na idade pediátrica o rabdomioma representa a maioria dos casos. Os tumores cardíacos primários malignos representam cerca de 25% dos tumores primários e destes 75% são sarcomas. Os mais frequentes incluem o angiossarcoma, o rabdomiossarcoma, o fibrossarcoma e o mesotelioma. As metástases cardíacas de tumores malignos são aproximadamente 10 a 20 vezes mais frequentes que os primários. Os pacientes em sua grande maioria são assintomáticos. Os sintomas apresentados em alguns casos são dependentes da localização do tumor e da sua capacidade de invasão local e metastização sistémica. São os efeitos tromboembólicos e sistémicos do tumor que determinam a sintomatologia apresentada. Para o diagnóstico são por vezes utilizados vários exames complementares como a ecocardiografia, a tomografia computorizada e a ressonância magnética, porém o estudo anatomo-patológico é fundamental.A cirurgia torna-se fundamental no tratamento destas entidades. Por vezes é terapêutica mas noutras torna-se apenas paliativa, como na maioria dos tumores malignos. As neoplasias benignas apresentam bom prognóstico ao contrário das neoplasias malignas cujo tempo de sobrevida é deveras exíguo.Primary cardiac tumors are uncommon entities, with an estimated post-mortem prevalence between 0,17-0,19%. Globally, they represent about 0,2% of cardiac surgery. About 75% of primary cardiac tumors are benign and most frequently classified as myxoma, lipoma, rhabdomyoma, fibroma, papillary fibroelastoma. Among these myxoma accounts for 50% of cases in adults, whereas in the pediatric population rhabdomyoma is the most frequently encountered. Malignancy is found in about 25% of primary tumors, 75% of which are sarcomas. The most common include angiosarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, fibrosarcoma and malignant mesothelioma. Cardiac metastases are approximately 10 - 20 times more common than primary tumors.Most patients are asymptomatic. Symptoms are influenced by the tumor location, capacity of local invasion and systemic metastatic potencial, and are mainly determined by the thromboembolic and systemic effects of the tumor. Although echocardiography, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging can be used, the pathological study is essential for establishing a definitive diagnosis. Surgery, whether curative or palliative, is the gold standard for the treatment of this lesions. Accordingly, for most malignant tumors, surgery is usually merely palliative. Benign neoplasms have a better prognosis than the malignant lesions, which have shorter survival expectancy

Bio-Radar: sistema de aquisição de sinais vitais sem contacto

The Bio-Radar system is capable to measure vital signs accurately, namely the respiratory and cardiac signal, using electromagnetic waves. In this way, it is possible to monitor subjects remotely and comfortably for long periods of time. This system is based on the micro-Doppler effect, which relates the received signal phase variation with the distance change between the subject chest-wall and the radar antennas, which occurs due to the cardiopulmonary function. Considering the variety of applications where this system can be used, it is required to evaluate its performance when applied to real context scenarios and thus demonstrate the advantages that bioradar systems can bring to the general population. In this work, a bio-radar prototype was developed in order to verify the viability to be integrated in specific applications, using robust and low profile solutions that equally guarantee the general system performance while addressing the market needs. Considering these two perspectives to be improved, different level solutions were developed. On the hardware side, textile antennas were developed to be embedded in a car seat upholstery, thus reaching a low profile solution and easy to include in the industrialization process. Real context scenarios imply long-term monitoring periods, where involuntary body motion can occur producing high amplitude signals that overshadow the vital signs. Non-controlled monitoring environments might also produce time varying parasitic reflections that have a direct impact in the signal. Additionally, the subject's physical stature and posture during the monitoring period can have a different impact in the signals quality. Therefore, signal processing algorithms were developed to be robust to low quality signals and non-static scenarios. On the other hand, the bio-radar potential can also be maximized if the acquired signals are used pertinently to help identify the subject's psychophysiological state enabling one to act accordingly. The random body motion until now has been seen as a noisy source, however it can also provide useful information regarding subject's state. In this sense, the acquired vital signs as well as other body motions were used in machine learning algorithms with the goal to identify the subject's emotions and thus verify if the remotely acquired vital signs can also provide useful information.O sistema Bio-Radar permite medir sinais vitais com precisão, nomeadamente o sinal respiratório e cardíaco, utilizando ondas eletromagnéticas para esse fim. Desta forma, é possível monitorizar sujeitos de forma remota e confortável durante longos períodos de tempo. Este sistema é baseado no efeito de micro-Doppler, que relaciona a variação de fase do sinal recebido com a alteração da distância entre as antenas do radar e a caixa torácica do sujeito, que ocorre durante a função cardiopulmonar. Considerando a variedade de aplicações onde este sistema pode ser utilizado, é necessário avaliar o seu desempenho quando aplicado em contextos reais e assim demonstrar as vantagens que os sistemas bio-radar podem trazer à população geral. Neste trabalho, foi desenvolvido um protótipo do bio radar com o objetivo de verificar a viabilidade de integrar estes sistemas em aplicações específicas, utilizando soluções robustas e discretas que garantam igualmente o seu bom desempenho, indo simultaneamente de encontro às necessidades do mercado. Considerando estas duas perspetivas em que o sistema pode ser melhorado, foram desenvolvidas soluções de diferentes níveis. Do ponto de vista de hardware, foram desenvolvidas antenas têxteis para serem integradas no estofo de um banco automóvel, alcançando uma solução discreta e fácil de incluir num processo de industrialização. Contextos reais de aplicação implicam períodos de monitorização longos, onde podem ocorrer movimentos corporais involuntários que produzem sinais de elevada amplitude que se sobrepõem aos sinais vitais. Ambientes de monitorização não controlados podem produzir reflexões parasitas variantes no tempo que têm impacto direto no sinal. Adicionalmente, a estrutura física do sujeito e a sua postura durante o período de monitorização podem ter impactos diferentes na qualidade dos sinais. Desta forma, foram desenvolvidos algoritmos de processamento de sinal robustos a sinais de baixa qualidade e a cenários não estáticos. Por outro lado, o potencial do bio radar pode também ser maximizado se os sinais adquiridos forem pertinentemente utilizados de forma a ajudar a identificar o estado psicofisiológico do sujeito, permitindo mais tarde agir em conformidade. O movimento corporal aleatório que foi até agora visto como uma fonte de ruído, pode no entanto também fornecer informação útil sobre o estado do sujeito. Neste sentido, os sinais vitais e outros movimentos corporais adquiridos foram utilizados em algoritmos de aprendizagem automática com o objetivo de identificar as emoções do sujeito e assim verificar que sinais vitais adquiridos remotamente podem também conter informação útil.Programa Doutoral em Engenharia Eletrotécnic

Gang of four: The next Portuguese unicorn

Lately, the theme of Unicorns, new companies that reach a $ 1 billion valuation, has been the subject of discussion. There are many opinions regarding their evaluations and their future. In countries like United States of America, China and India, the number of Unicorns continues to grow and in Portugal 3 startups have already reached this status. In this ever-changing technological world, investors want more than ever to be one step ahead, so they want to predict who will be the future Unicorn. Based on this premise and based on the Portuguese scenario, we predict who will be the future Portuguese Unicorn, given the analogies between the 3 current Portuguese unicorns and a sample of 4 Portuguese startups. This study and its results may be useful to investors, entrepreneurs and financial advisors.O tema dos Unicórnios, novas empresas que atingem uma avaliação de 1 bilião de dólares, tem sido alvo de discussão nos últimos tempos. Muitas são as opiniões relativamente às avaliações e ao futuro das mesmas. Em países como os Estados Unidos da América, China e a Índia o número de Unicórnios não para de crescer e em Portugal 3 startups já atingiram este estatuto. Neste mundo tecnológico e em constante mudança os investidores querem, cada vez mais, estar um passo à frente, deste modo querem prever qual será o futuro Unicórnio. Partindo desta premissa e com base no cenário de Portugal, prevemos qual será o futuro Unicórnio português, tendo em conta analogias entre os 3 atuais unicórnios portugueses e uma amostra de 4 startups portuguesas. Este estudo e os respectivos resultados poderão ser úteis a investidores, empreendedores e consultores financeiros

A comparative analysis between local and exchange university students from Montevideo, Lisbon, and Padua

Funding Information: CC acknowledges the support given by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation through the Environmental Sustainability Grant from the Novos Talentos Científicos that supported the development of this work and the open access fee, and for organizing discussion sessions throughout the progress of the research. Publisher Copyright: Copyright © 2023 Castro and Gouveia.Energy Poverty (EP) is a growing concern in EU and national policies. Limited research has been conducted on students' perception of EP and vulnerability to EP, especially on how this may be modified if the student is a local or an exchange university student and how this interacts with the season (i.e., summer and winter). Therefore, the present research aims to deepen this understanding by analyzing and comparing students' perceptions of EP and exploring their vulnerability to EP, considering their background and the city they live in, using Montevideo in Uruguay, Lisbon in Portugal, and Padua in Italy, as case studies. To achieve these aims, two populations of university students in each city were surveyed: one of Local Students (LS) and another of Exchange Students (ES). Responses from 295 students to an online survey with 44 questions covering several aspects of EP and energy awareness, such as energy consumption habits, vulnerability drivers, energy equipment, and lived experience in maintaining comfortable internal temperatures, were collected in 2022. Differences between the perception of LS and ES in each city were analyzed, as well as differences in students' perceptions among cities. Although it is difficult to generalize, comfort levels seem to vary according to location, type of students, and season, but according to the results, there seems to be an interaction between these three factors. According to this research, most students did not identify themselves as living in EP, but several populations perceived discomfort in both winter and summer, showing their vulnerability to EP.publishersversionpublishe

Limits of WPT through the human body using Radio Frequency

Recently, the medical community has been devel oping new technologies to enhance medical treatments and diagnosis means, having in mind the patients’ comfort and safety. Implantable medical devices are an example of such solutions. Nonetheless, these devices present some disadvantages, namely need of batteries. Hence, these implants have a limited lifetime, and require periodical surgical interventions to change or to recharge. In order to solve this problem, systems based on Radio Frequency (RF) has been developed to transfer energy inside the organism. However, transmitting power to inside the human body must be performed carefully, since high power levels might be prejudicial to the subject. In this context, the goal of this work is to study the performance of the Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) to inside the human body, while respecting the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) limits. Therefore, the levels of absorbed power in different body parts were verified by simulation, in order to reach conclusions about the user’s safety. More specifically, two biological models that represent the thigh and the arm were considered. The simulation results led us to conclude that it is possible to transmit approximately 140 mW on the limbs location, while respecting the SAR limits. In turn, it is possible to receive a power superior to 93 µW inside the human body. Additionally, real tests were also carried out in three subjects to verify the power attenuation related to each body structure.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Portuguese Version of the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5): Comparison of Latent Models and Other Psychometric Analyses

Objective: This psychometric study explores the Portuguese version of the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Checklist (PCL-5). It aims to clarify the bestfitting latent structure among competing PTSD models (DSM-5, Dysphoria, Dysphoric Arousal, Anhedonia, Externalizing Behavior, and Hybrid models) and its implications for PTSD measurement. Method: Psychometric analyses were conducted in a sample from the general population of firefighters (N = 466), except the temporal stability, which was tested in a subsample of 100 participants. Results: The models presented significant differences in global fit. The Hybrid model presented the best-fitting structure, but the DSM-5 model showed more favorable reliability and convergent validity in Confirmatory Factor Analyses. The DSM-5 model also proved to be internal consistency, temporal reliability, and convergent validity. Conclusion: The Portuguese version of PCL-5 is reliable and valid. The findings suggest the appropriateness of the DSM-5 model to assess PTSD symptomatology, encouraging its use in clinical and research settings

Signal power variation for bio-radar applications

Micro-Doppler radars have been widely used for the remote vital signs acquisition. In those cases, the signals quality is directly related with the received power provided by the reflecting chest-wall. In order to determine which is the optimal radar configuration, it is important to study the signal behavior in the near-field region considering the Radar Cross Section (RCS) of the human chest. In this work, simulations are performed to characterize the received signal power variation, considering the subject distance in relation to the radar

Different antenna designs for non-contact vital signs measurement: a review

Cardiopulmonary activity measured through contactless means is a hot topic within the research community. The Doppler radar is an approach often used to acquire vital signs in real time and to further estimate their rates, in a remote way and without requiring direct contact with subjects. Many solutions have been proposed in the literature, using different transceivers and operation modes. Nonetheless, all different strategies have a common goal: enhance the system efficiency, reduce the manufacturing cost, and minimize the overall size of the system. Antennas are a key component for these systems since they can influence the radar robustness directly. Therefore, antennas must be designed with care, facing several trade-offs to meet all the system requirements. In this sense, it is necessary to define the proper guidelines that need to be followed in the antenna design. In this manuscript, an extensive review on different antenna designs for non-contact vital signals measurements is presented. It is intended to point out and quantify which parameters are crucial for the optimal radar operation, for non-contact vital signs' acquisition.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A III Exposição de Artes Plásticas da Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian

O estudo das exposições de arte em Portugal, nomeadamente, sob a responsabilidade da Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, e o seu impacto, só agora começam a ser analisados e compilados no projecto “Catálogo Raisonné das exposições de arte da Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian”. Neste âmbito, as três Exposições de Artes Plásticas constituem um importante testemunho do que foi o papel da Fundação e a sua vontade relativa ao panorama artístico nacional, ao longo de três décadas do século XX. Para tal, além de uma breve abordagem da I e II Exposições de Artes Plásticas, procurou-se ir ao encontro do que foram os anos oitenta em Portugal, verificando-se que se caracterizaram por uma enorme efervescência criativa, a par com a abertura de diversas galerias de arte. No seguimento das duas primeiras Exposições de Artes Plásticas, a III Exposição terá sido, talvez, a mais controversa, sendo escrutinada pela crítica de arte, devido à repetição de modelos salonísticos num contexto artístico cada vez mais actual e atento ao que se passava no estrangeiro. Procurando alcançar o objectivo de grande panorâmica da primeira metade dos anos oitenta em Portugal, a Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian reuniu numerosos trabalhos submetidos, pondo, no entanto, de parte, nomes fortes do contexto artístico nacional da década de oitenta.The study of art exhibitions in Portugal, namely, under the responsibility of Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, and their impact, are just beginning to be analyzed and put together in the project “Catálogo Raisonné das exposições de arte da Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian”1. In this context, the three Exposições de Artes Plásticas2 are an important testimony of the Foundation’s role and will towards the national artistic scenery, through three decades of the 20th century. For such, besides a brief approach of the 1st and 2nd Exhibitions of Fine Arts, we wanted to find out what happened in the 80’s in Portugal, verifying that this decade was distinguished by a great creative effervescency, alongside an opening of several art galleries. Following the two first Exhibitions of Fine Arts, the 3rd one was, perhaps, the most controversial, being scrutinized by the art critics, for its repetition of “Salon” models in an artistic context more and more current and hawk-eyed of what happened outside Portugal. Trying to reach the goal of great first half of the 80’s prospect, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation got together many submitted works, however, setting aside strong names of the national and artistic context of the 80’s decade

Fabrico de elétrodos de eletromiografia em substrato flexível

A eletromiogfia de superfície (sEMG) é uma técnica não invasiva de medição da atividade elétrica dos músculos esqueléticos, que inspira o recente desenvolvimento de novas aplicações no campo do diagnóstico de pacientes, terapia de reabilitação, interface homemmáquina e controlo de próteses. Os elétrodos húmidos convencionais de Ag/AgCl são intensamente utilizados no mercado. No entanto, apresentam algumas limitações, tais como o facto de provocarem irritação cutânea, curta semi-vida do gel, tamanho relativamente grande e serem baseados em substratos rígidos. Estes fatores impedem a sua utilização para medições a longo prazo, de alta densidade e de músculos de pequenas dimensões. Neste contexto, os investigadores têm-se debruçado sobre novas alternativas que combinam materiais condutores com substratos de polímeros altamente flexíveis e biocompatíveis. Assim, este projeto apresenta a abordagem adotada na produção de elétrodos circulares de Cu/Au em substrato de parileno C, procedendo à sua validação através da comparação com os elétrodos convencionais. Além disso, é feito um estudo comparativo entre estes elétrodos a húmido e a seco. Os resultados foram promissores, obtendo-se elétrodos com espessuras de aproximadamente 9 μm, reutilizáveis, conformáveis com pele e com a possibilidade de serem utilizados a seco. Observou-se que o aumento da área do elétrodo de 3 mm para o de 15 mm implicou reduções de 56% e 78% de impedância, e aumentos de 13% e 22% na qualidade do sinal, para os elétrodos húmidos e secos, respetivamente. Assim, os elétrodos de 15mmapresentaram a melhor resposta com uma relação sinal-ruído (SNR) de (26,8 ± 2,0) dB a seco e de (27,8 ± 1,5) dB a húmido, sem diferença significativa relativamente ao convencional. A otimização dos elétrodos secos de Cu/Au de dimensões reduzidas (3 mm) foi realizada através do revestimento com PEDOT:PSS, obtendo-se uma diminuição de impedância em salina, a 100 Hz, de (1045 ± 14)Ωpara (304 ± 3)Ωe um SNR de (28,9 ± 2,7) dB.Surface electromyography (sEMG) is a non-invasive technique for measuring the electrical activity of skeletal muscles that has recently inspired new applications in the field of patient diagnosis, rehabilitation therapy, human-machine interface, and prosthetic control. Conventional Ag/AgCl wet electrodes are extensively used in the market. However, they have some limitations such as causing skin irritation, short half-life of the gel, their relatively large size, and being based on rigid substrates. These factors preclude their long-term use, as well as high-density or thin muscle measurements. In this context, researchers have been looking at new alternatives that combine conductive materials with highly flexible polymeric substrates that are biocompatible. This project includes all the steps related to the elaboration of circular Cu/Au electrodes on parylene C substrate, pursue their validation through comparison with conventional wet electrodes. In addition, a comparative study was performed between these electrodes in both wet and dry states. The results were promising, obtaining electrodes with thicknesses of approximately 9 μm, reusable, highly conformable to the skin and with the possibility of being used dried state. It was observed that increasing the electrode area from 3 mm to 15 mm implied reductions of 56% and 78% in impedance, and increases of 13% and 22% in signal quality, for wet and dry electrodes, respectively. Thus, the 15 mm electrode showed the best response, with a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of (26.8 ± 2.0) dB dry and (27.8 ± 1.5) dB wet, with no significant difference compared to the conventional electrode. The optimization of the dry Cu/Au electrodes of reduced dimensions (3 mm) was carried out through the coating with PEDOT:PSS, obtaining a decrease in impedance in saline, at 100 Hz, from (1045 ± 14) Ω to (304 ± 3) Ω and a SNR of (28.9 ± 2.7) dB