53 research outputs found
Introducing "UrbanEnviron@Lisbon 2008" a GIS-platform for environmental and human health data management
Measuring adherence to inhaled control medication in patients with asthma: Comparison among an asthma app, patient self‐report and physician assessment
Background
Previous studies have demonstrated the feasibility of using an asthma app to support medication management and adherence but failed to compare with other measures currently used in clinical practice. However, in a clinical setting, any additional adherence measurement must be evaluated in the context of both the patient and physician perspectives so that it can also help improve the process of shared decision making. Thus, we aimed to compare different measures of adherence to asthma control inhalers in clinical practice, namely through an app, patient self-report and physician assessment.
Methods
This study is a secondary analysis of three prospective multicentre observational studies with patients (≥13 years old) with persistent asthma recruited from 61 primary and secondary care centres in Portugal. Patients were invited to use the InspirerMundi app and register their inhaled medication. Adherence was measured by the app as the number of doses taken divided by the number of doses scheduled each day and two time points were considered for analysis: 1-week and 1-month. At baseline, patients and physicians independently assessed adherence to asthma control inhalers during the previous week using a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS 0–100).
Results
A total of 193 patients (72% female; median [P25–P75] age 28 [19–41] years old) were included in the analysis. Adherence measured by the app was lower (1 week: 31 [0–71]%; 1 month: 18 [0–48]%) than patient self-report (80 [60–95]) and physician assessment (82 [51–94]) (p 0.05). There was a moderate correlation between patient self-report and physician assessment (ρ = 0.596, p < 0.001).
Conclusions
Adherence measured by the app was lower than that reported by the patient or the physician. This was expected as objective measurements are commonly lower than subjective evaluations, which tend to overestimate adherence. Nevertheless, the low adherence measured by the app may also be influenced by the use of the app itself and this needs to be considered in future studies.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Acesso a Tratamento Endovascular para Acidente Vascular Cerebral Isquémico em Portugal
Introduction: Since the publication of endovascular treatment trials and European Stroke Guidelines, Portugal has re-organized stroke
healthcare. The nine centers performing endovascular treatment are not equally distributed within the country, which may lead to differential
access to endovascular treatment. Our main aim was to perform a descriptive analysis of the main treatment metrics regarding
endovascular treatment in mainland Portugal and its administrative districts.
Material and Methods: A retrospective national multicentric cohort study was conducted, including all ischemic stroke patients treated
with endovascular treatment in mainland Portugal over two years (July 2015 to June 2017). All endovascular treatment centers contributed
to an anonymized database. Demographic, stroke-related and procedure-related variables were collected. Crude endovascular
treatment rates were calculated per 100 000 inhabitants for mainland Portugal, and each district and endovascular treatment standardized
ratios (indirect age-sex standardization) were also calculated. Patient time metrics were computed as the median time between
stroke onset, first-door, and puncture.
Results: A total of 1625 endovascular treatment procedures were registered. The endovascular treatment rate was 8.27/100 000
inhabitants/year. We found regional heterogeneity in endovascular treatment rates (1.58 to 16.53/100 000/year), with higher rates in
districts closer to endovascular treatment centers. When analyzed by district, the median time from stroke onset to puncture ranged
from 212 to 432 minutes, reflecting regional heterogeneity.
Conclusion: The overall national rate of EVT in the first two years after the organization of EVT-capable centers is one of the highest among European countries, however, significant regional disparities were documented. Moreover, stroke-onset-to-first-door times and
in-hospital procedural times in the EVT centers were comparable to those reported in the randomized controlled trials performed in
high-volume tertiary hospitals.Introdução: A aprovação do tratamento endovascular para o acidente vascular cerebral isquémico obrigou à reorganização dos
cuidados de saúde em Portugal. Os nove centros que realizam tratamento endovascular não estão distribuídos equitativamente pelo
território, o que poderá causar acesso diferencial a tratamento. O principal objetivo deste estudo é realizar uma análise descritiva da
frequência e métricas temporais do tratamento endovascular em Portugal continental e seus distritos.
Material e Métodos: Estudo de coorte nacional multicêntrico, incluindo todos os doentes com acidente vascular cerebral isquémico
submetidos a tratamento endovascular em Portugal continental durante um período de dois anos (julho 2015 a junho 2017). Foram
colhidos dados demográficos, relacionados com o acidente vascular cerebral e variáveis do procedimento. Taxas de tratamento endovascular
brutas e ajustadas (ajuste indireto a idade e sexo) foram calculadas por 100 000 habitantes/ano para Portugal continental e
cada distrito. Métricas de procedimento como tempo entre instalação, primeira porta e punção foram também analisadas.
Resultados: Foram registados 1625 tratamentos endovasculares, indicando uma taxa bruta nacional de tratamento endovascular
de 8,27/100 000 habitantes/ano. As taxas de tratamento endovascular entre distritos variaram entre 1,58 e 16,53/100 000/ano, com
taxas mais elevadas nos distritos próximos a hospitais com tratamento endovascular. O tempo entre sintomas e punção femural entre
distritos variou entre 212 e 432 minutos.
Conclusão: Portugal continental apresenta uma taxa nacional de tratamento endovascular elevada, apresentando, contudo, assimetrias
regionais no acesso. As métricas temporais foram comparáveis com as observadas nos ensaios clínicos piloto
Conversion of furfuryl alcohol to ethyl levulinate using porous aluminosilicate acid catalysts
The following porous aluminosilicates were tested as acid catalysts in the reaction of furfuryl alcohol (FA) with ethanol, at 140 C: micro/mesoporous composite Beta/TUD-1 and the correspondent nanocrystalline (large pore) zeolite H-Beta; ITQ-2 and its zeolite counterpart (medium pore) H-MCM-22; mesoporous Al-TUD-1. The target product ethyl levulinate (EL) was formed with a yield up to 80%, at 24 h reaction (100% FA conversion). Relationships between the catalytic results and the acid and texture properties of the catalysts were established. Comparative studies for the aluminosilicates and the well-known sulfonic acid resin AmberlystTm-15 were reported on the basis of EL yields, the undesirable formation of diethyl ether, and catalyst stability (regeneration and reuse). A study of the reaction products was carried out by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography combined with time-of-flight mass spectrometry. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
The National Varicose Vein Study: Portuguese Multicentric Prospective Study Regarding Surgical Treatment of Varicose Veins
Practical Methodology for Two-Terminal Traveling Wave-Based Fault Location Eliminating the Need for Line Parameters and Time Synchronization
Micro- and Mesoporous Structures as Drug Delivery Carriers for Salicylic Acid
The potential of salicylic acid (SA) encapsulated in porous materials as drug delivery carriers for cancer treatment was studied. Different porous structures, the microporous zeolite NaY, and the mesoporous SBA-15 and MCM-41 were used as hosts for the anti-inflammatory drug. Characterization with different techniques (FTIR, UV/vis, TGA, H-1 NMR, and C-13 CPMAS NMR) demonstrated the successful loading of SA into the porous hosts. The mesoporous structures showed to be very efficient to encapsulate the SA molecule. The obtained drug delivery systems (DDS) accommodated 0.74 mmol (341 mg/g(ZEO)) in NaY and 1.07 mmol (493 mg/g(ZEO)) to 1.23 mmol (566 mg/g(ZEO)) for SBA-15 and MCM-41, respectively. Interactions between SA molecules and pore structures were identified. A fast and unrestricted liberation of SA at 10 min of the dissolution assay was achieved with 29.3, 46.6, and 50.1 mu g/mL of SA from NaY, SBA-15, and MCM-41, respectively, in the in vitro drug release studies (PBS buffer pH 7.4, 37 degrees C). Kinetic modeling was used to determine the release patterns of the DDS. The porous structures and DDS were evaluated on Hs578T and MDA-MB-468 breast cancer cell lines viability. The porous structures are nontoxic to cancer cells. Cell viability reduction was only observed after the release of SA from MCM-41 followed by SBA-15 in both breast cancer cell lines
meso-Tetraphenylbenzoporphyrin-2(2),2(3)-dicarboxylic Anhydride: A Platform to Benzoporphyrin Derivatives
A method to synthesize meso-tetraphenylbenzoporphyrin-2(2),2(3)-dicarboxylic anhydride is reported. This compound reacts with alkylamines and arylamines to afford the corresponding \"phthalimides\" in moderate to excellent yields. The reaction of the title compound with benzene-1,4-diamine or with benzene-1,3-diamine yields the corresponding N,N'-(phenylene)bisphthalimides, whereas with benzene-1,2-diamine or naphthalene-1,8-diamine it affords heterocyclic-fused porphyrins. Molecular mechanics simulations elucidates the multiplicity of signals observed in the NMR spectra of the N,N'-(1,4-phenylene)bisphthalimide 11. This molecule exhibits two preferential conformations corresponding to a coplanar and an almost perpendicular arrangement of the benzoporphyrin units relative to the central benzenic ring
Investigação da talassemia alfa em uma população de pacientes com anemia microcítica não-ferropênica e em indivíduos sem anemia
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