The C677T polymorphism in MTHFR is not associated with migraine in Portugal

Migraine is a debilitating disorder affecting a large proportion of the population. The effect of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (GeneID: 4524) polymorphisms in migraine etiology and development has been a theme of great interest. Several populations were evaluated with contradictory results. In this case-control study, we investigated the effect of the C677T polymorphism in MTHFR, as a genetic risk factor for migraine, in the Portuguese population. We observed that, overall, there was no significant difference in the frequencies of MTHFR C677T genotypes or of the T-allele among the Portuguese migraineurs when compared to controls. There was also no association of migraine with aura with MTHFR genotypes or with the T-allele, in contrast with previous studies. Regarding the risk of the T-allele homozygote carriers, there was an equal probability to develop migraine with aura over migraine without aura in our patients. Thus, we conclude that the C677T MTHFR polymorphism, responsible for a reduction of the MTHFR activity in folate metabolism, is not a major genetic susceptibility factor for migraine in the Portuguese population.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (POCTI-034390/99/FCT) and A.F. (SFRH/BD/ 1288/2000), M.-J.C. (POCTI-034390-PR332009-BTI), M.S. (SFRH/BD/9111/2002), C.L. (SFRH/BD/17761/ 2004

Argamassas com desempenho térmico melhorado

No contexto da investigação de novas tecnologias no domínio da conservação de energia surgem os “Phase Change Materials” (PCM) cuja principal característica é a mudança de fase (fase líquida para fase sólida e vice-versa) próximo à temperatura ambiente. O objecto desta comunicação é a divulgação de uma nova tecnologia, no domínio da técnica de aplicação de argamassas, que poderá ser utilizada na construção dos espaços interiores das construções. Os resultados dos ensaios efectuados mostraram que a incorporação de 25 % de PCM em peso, mantém as propriedades mecânicas das argamassas em níveis aceitáveis e é benéfica do ponto de vista térmico

Robot-assisted rehabilitation architecture supported by a distributed data acquisition system

Rehabilitation robotics aims to facilitate the rehabilitation procedure for patients and physical therapists. This field has a relatively long history dating back to the 1990s; however, their implementation and the standardisation of their application in the medical field does not follow the same pace, mainly due to their complexity of reproduction and the need for their approval by the authorities. This paper aims to describe architecture that can be applied to industrial robots and promote their application in healthcare ecosystems. The control of the robotic arm is performed using the software called SmartHealth, offering a 2 Degree of Autonomy (DOA). Data are gathered through electromyography (EMG) and force sensors at a frequency of 45 Hz. It also proves the capabilities of such small robots in performing such medical procedures. Four exercises focused on shoulder rehabilitation (passive, restricted active-assisted, free active-assisted and Activities of Daily Living (ADL)) were carried out and confirmed the viability of the proposed architecture and the potential of small robots (i.e., the UR3) in rehabilitation procedure accomplishment. This robot can perform the majority of the default exercises in addition to ADLs but, nevertheless, their limits were also uncovered, mainly due to their limited Range of Motion (ROM) and cost.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The chromosomal constitution of spermatozoa from eight normal, healthy brazilian men

Apresenta-se a análise citogenética de cromossomos de espermatozóides de oito homens brasileiros normais, utilizando-se a técnica de fertilização heteróloga homemhamster. Os resultados obtidos são semelhantes aos descritos em outros laboratórios que dominam esta técnica. Obteve-se freqüência de 5.4% (variação de 1.0-13.5%) de aberrações cromossômicas, sendo 1.4% de aberrações estruturais (variação de 0.0-3.3%), freqüência de hiper-haploidia de 2.0% (variação entre 0.0-5.1%) e freqüência de hipo-haploidia de 5.6% (variação de 0.0-11.3%). A diferença entre as proporções de espermatozóides X (54.1%) e Y (45.9%) foi significativa, ao nível de 5%.We describe the chromosomal analyses of sperm from eight normal brazilian men using the human sperm-hamster egg fusion technique. The frequency of total chromosomal aberrations was 5.4% (range, 1.0-13.5%), of structural aberrations 1.4% (range, 0.0-3.3%), of hyperhaploidy 2.0% (range, 0.0-5.1%) and of hipohaploidy 5.6% (range,0.0-11.3%). The proportion of X-bearing (54.1%) and Y-bearing (45.9%) spermatozoa differed significantly at 5% level. The results obtained in this work are similar to those reported in the literature

Comparing different packaging conditions on quality stability of high-pressure treated Serra da Estrela cheeses during cold storage

Serra da Estrela cheese with a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) is a traditional cheese that is wrapped in paper without vacuum. High-pressure processing (HPP), which requires vacuum packaging of the cheese, has been used for its cold pasteurization to overcome safety issues. In this study, two packaging systems were studied: non-vacuum greaseproof paper wrapping package and vacuum packaging in plastic film. Lactococci, lactobacilli, enterococci, and total mesophiles reached ca. 8 log cfu g−1 and 4–6 log cfu g−1 in control (unpasteurized) and HPP-treated cheeses, respectively, with no significant differences between packaging systems. Spoilage microorganisms' viable cell numbers were reduced to 5 log cfu g−1 in non-vacuum paper-wrapped cheeses. A vacuum-packaging system enabled better control of cheese proteolysis, which was revealed to be closer to that of the original control cheese values at the end of the 10-month storage period. In addition, cheese stored under vacuum film packaging became harder than non-vacuum paper-wrapped cheeses at each time point. Overall, conventional non-vacuum paper wrapping is adequate for short storage periods (<3 months), but for long periods vacuum packaging in plastic film is preferable.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Uso, Acesso E Equidade Nos Serviços De Saúde Em São Paulo, Brasil

The study analyzed how socioeconomic factors are associated with seeking, access, use, and quality of health care services in São Paulo, Brazil. Data were obtained from two household health surveys in São Paulo. We used logistic regression to analyze associations between socioeconomic factors and seeking, access, use, and quality of health care services. Access to health care services was high among those who sought it (94.91% in 2003 and 94.98% in 2008). The proportion of access to and use of health care services did not change significantly from 2003 to 2008. Use of services in the public sector was more frequent in lower socioeconomic groups. There were some socioeconomic differences in seeking health care and resolution of health problems. The study showed almost universal access to health care services, but the results suggest problems in quality of services and differences in quality experienced by lower socioeconomic groups, who mostly use the Brazilian Unified National Health System (SUS).33

Colon tumor CD31 expression is associated with higher disease-free survival in patients with metabolic syndrome

Metabolic syndrome (MS) is recognized as a risk factor for colon cancer (CC). However, how does the interplay between metabolic dysfunction caused by MS and its individual components affect CC microenvironment and prognosis remains unexplored. Angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis are fundamental processes for tumor progression and dissemination, ensuring oxygen and nutrient delivery and supporting one of the most important pathways of tumor dissemination, contributing to metastasis. Thus, our aim was to evaluate whether the expression of molecular biomarkers involved in angiogenic and lymphangiogenic processes influenced CC clinicopathological features and prognosis in patients with MS. Clinical and pathological data of 300 patients submitted to CC surgical resection at a single tertiary hospital were retrospectively retrieved from hospital records. Tumor tissue microarrays of archived paraffin-embedded blocks were used to assess CD31, VEGF-A and D2–40 tissue expression by immunohistochemistry. The percentage of stained area was quantified by computerized morphometric analysis. No association between tissue expression of angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis biomarkers and tumor clinical and pathological characteristics was found. However, in subgroup analysis of patients with MS, dysglycemia was associated with lower D2–40 expression (p = 0.007) and high waist-circumference was associated with higher D2–40 (p = 0.0029) and VEGF-A expression (p = 0.026). In an adjusted Cox proportional hazard model CD31 expression was significantly associated with greater disease-free survival (HR=0.62; 95% CI: 0.41–0.95, p = 0.028). No association was found between D2–40 and VEGF-A expression and CC prognosis. Our data reinforces previous reports that suggest the potential use of CD31 as a CC prognostic biomarker. Additionally, our data further supports the evidence for an interplay between metabolic dysfunction, tumor microenvironment, and vascularization pathways.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Angle assessment for upper limb rehabilitation: a novel light detection and ranging (LiDAR)-based approach

The accurate measurement of joint angles during patient rehabilitation is crucial for informed decision making by physiotherapists. Presently, visual inspection stands as one of the prevalent methods for angle assessment. Although it could appear the most straightforward way to assess the angles, it presents a problem related to the high susceptibility to error in the angle estimation. In light of this, this study investigates the possibility of using a new approach to angle calculation: a hybrid approach leveraging both a camera and LiDAR technology, merging image data with point cloud information. This method employs AI-driven techniques to identify the individual and their joints, utilizing the cloud-point data for angle computation. The tests, considering different exercises with different perspectives and distances, showed a slight improvement compared to using YOLO v7 for angle calculation. However, the improvement comes with higher system costs when compared with other image-based approaches due to the necessity of equipment such as LiDAR and a loss of fluidity during the exercise performance. Therefore, the cost-benefit of the proposed approach could be questionable. Nonetheless, the results hint at a promising field for further exploration and the potential viability of using the proposed methodology.This work has been supported by SmartHealth—Inteligência Artificial para Cuidados de Saúde Personalizados ao Longo da Vida, under the project number NORTE-01-0145-FEDER- 000045. The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support through national funds FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC) to CeDRI (UIDB/05757/2020 and UIDP/05757/2020) and SusTEC (LA/P/0007/2021). Arezki A. Chellal is grateful to the FCT Foundation for its support through the FCT PhD scholarship with reference UI/BD/154484/2022. João Braun is grateful to the FCT Foundation for its support through the FCT PhD scholarship with reference 2023.04536.BD.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio