Doing Science: How to optimise patient and public involvement in your research

This paper considers how best to achieve patient and public involvement in research and how to get the most out of it http://ow.ly/R0hwV

Doing Science: How to optimise patient and public involvement in your research

This paper considers how best to achieve patient and public involvement in research and how to get the most out of it http://ow.ly/R0hw

HLA-DR in Cytotoxic T lymphocytes predicts breast cancer patients' response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy

Prediction of breast cancer response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy (NACT) is an urgent need to promptly direct non-responder patients to alternative therapies. Infiltrating T lymphocytes, namely cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) have been appointed as predictors of response. However, cancer cells have the ability to dampen CTLs' activity and thus, the prognostic value of the CTLs, per se, is debatable. Here, we disclose that more than the occurrence of CTLs, it is their activation state, revealed by HLA-DR expression, that can accurately predict response to NACT. Flow cytometry analysis of breast cancer biopsies showed that the frequency of CTLs and other lymphocytes were similar regardless disease stage and between NACT responders and non-responders. However, only breast cancer patients without axillary lymph node metastasis and NACT responders have HLA-DRhi CTLs. Interestingly, HLA-DR levels in tumor CTLs is correlated with HLA-DR levels in systemic CTLs. These HLA-DR+ CTLs produce IFN-γ and Granzyme B, enlightening their effector and probable anti-tumor activity profile. Moreover, the level of HLA-DR in CTLs is negatively correlated with the level of HLA-DR in T regulatory lymphocytes and with immunosuppressive and pro-tumor molecules in the tumor microenvironment. Hence, HLA-DR levels in CTLs is a highly sensitive and specific potential predictive factor of NACT-response, which can be assessed in blood to guide therapeutic decisions.Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia: PD/BD/114023/2015; PTDC/BBB-BMD/4497/2014. Liga Portuguesa Contra o Cancroinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Automated 5-year Mortality Prediction using Deep Learning and Radiomics Features from Chest Computed Tomography

We propose new methods for the prediction of 5-year mortality in elderly individuals using chest computed tomography (CT). The methods consist of a classifier that performs this prediction using a set of features extracted from the CT image and segmentation maps of multiple anatomic structures. We explore two approaches: 1) a unified framework based on deep learning, where features and classifier are automatically learned in a single optimisation process; and 2) a multi-stage framework based on the design and selection/extraction of hand-crafted radiomics features, followed by the classifier learning process. Experimental results, based on a dataset of 48 annotated chest CTs, show that the deep learning model produces a mean 5-year mortality prediction accuracy of 68.5%, while radiomics produces a mean accuracy that varies between 56% to 66% (depending on the feature selection/extraction method and classifier). The successful development of the proposed models has the potential to make a profound impact in preventive and personalised healthcare.Comment: 9 page

Agenda 21 : um instrumento de base territorial de apoio ao desenvolvimento sustentável. Caso de estudo do concelho de Castelo Branco

Comunicação apresentada no VI Coloquio Ibérico de Estudios Rurales que decorreu de 23 a 24 de Fevereiro, em Huelva (Espanha).O funcionamento das sociedades humanas deve ter em conta a necessidade de preservação dos elementos naturais. Esta condicionante poderá parecer algo de mais recente, mas sempre existiu. O que constitui novidade é o seu reconhecimento com maior acuidade pelas sociedades humanas, fruto da dimensão dos efeitos das intervenções humanas e da facilidade de aquisição e troca de informação

Implementação da agenda 21 para o Concelho de Castelo Branco : do diagnóstico à acção

Trabalho apresentado no 13.º Congresso da APDR, realizado de 5 a 7 de Julho de 2007, na Universidade dos Açores, em Angra do Heroísmo-Ilha Terceira.Apesar do conceito “Agenda 21” ter sido apresentado, pela primeira vez, em 1992, no decurso da Cimeira da Terra, no Rio de Janeiro, só agora está a ser posto em prática, em Portugal, constituindo um novo instrumento de base territorial, de apoio ao Desenvolvimento Sustentável. Partindo deste conceito e explorando os seus pressupostos teóricos, a comunicação centrase no caso estudo da elaboração da Agenda 21 para o concelho de Castelo Branco. Este concelho caracterizase por uma acentuada dicotomia urbano/rural, em que em paralelo à freguesia urbana, sobrevive todo um vasto território de baixa densidade com algum património natural importante, como é o caso do Parque Natural do Tejo Internacional. A elaboração do diagnóstico conduziu a uma análise SWOT cujos resultados foram discutidos em sessões de proximidade com a presença dos actores locais. Foram igualmente elaboradas matrizes de impactes que permitiram identificar os efeitos das actividades humanas sobre os indicadores de sustentabilidade. Paralelamente foi lançado um inquérito à população com o objectivo de auscultar a visão dos albicastrenses sobre a sua cidade. Com base nos elementos recolhidos construiuse uma visão estratégica que se consubstanciou num conjunto de acções que visam promover a sustentabilidade do concelho e que se articulam em torno de três eixos – Território, Conhecimento e Competitividade

The new automated daily mortality surveillance system

The experience reported in an earlier Eurosurveillance issue on a fast method to evaluate the impact of the 2003 heatwave on mortality in Portugal, generated a daily mortality surveillance system (VDM) that has been operating ever since jointly with the Portuguese Heat Health Watch Warning System. This work describes the VDM system and how it evolved to become an automated system operating year-round, and shows briefly its potential using mortality data from January 2006 to June 2009 collected by the system itself. The new system has important advantages such as: rapid information acquisition, completeness (the entire population is included), lightness (very little information is exchanged, date of death, age, sex, place of death registration). It allows rapid detection of impacts (within five days) and allows a quick preliminary quantification of impacts that usually took several years to be done. These characteristics make this system a powerful tool for public health action. The VDM system also represents an example of inter-institutional cooperation, bringing together organisations from two different ministries, Health and Justice, aiming at improving knowledge about the mortality in the population

The voices and actions of child activists against the climate crisis

Aim. The work has as main objective to present some of the actions of children considered activists to face the climate crisis through social media. Technologies and social media allow them a new form of existence and action through their posts, whether is in video, photo or text format, promoting interactions and discussions that captivate hundreds or thousands of followers. Methods. Data collection was carried out from a digital ethnography, analysing the social media and linked news in the media of 13 children from different countries (Australia, United States, India, Holland, England, Indonesia, South Africa, Uganda and Sweden) over an 18-month period. Results. To understand the data, digital ethnography was used as a strategy to follow the main interactions and online mobilisations through different social media (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter), as well as linked news in the media about those children, and articulation of them with governmental, non-governmental organizations and private companies. In relation to the selection of participants, the pro le of a child activist was added and through the algorithms of these platforms other activists with similar pro les were found that promote content about climate justice. Conclusions. It was possible to identify that the Internet has enabled the visibility and articulation of children’s actions on the theme, and how this engagement has promoted awareness and changes to ght against the climate crisis. It is worth emphasising the importance of digital literacy so that access to these spaces is carried out safely and responsibly for this social group.This work was financially supported by Portuguese national funds through the FCT (Foundation for Science and Technology) within the framework of the CIEC (Research Center for Child Studies of the University of Minho) projects under the references UIDB/00317/2020 and UIDP/00317/2020