Dermatite pustular bacteriana em Python molurus

Descrição de um caso clínico de dermatite pustular numa cobra pito

Contribution of Different Patient Information Sources to Create the Best Possible Medication History

Introduction: Obtaining the best possible medication history is the crucial step in medication reconciliation. Our aim was to evaluate the potential contributions of the main data sources available - patient/caregiver, hospital medical records, and shared electronic health records - to obtain an accurate 'best possible medication history'. Material and Methods: An observational cross-sectional study was conducted. Adult patients taking at least one medicine were included. Patient interview was performed upon admission and this information was reconciled with hospital medical records and shared electronic health records, assessed retrospectively. Concordance between sources was assessed. In the shared electronic health records, information was collected for four time-periods: the preceding three, six, nine and 12-months. The proportion of omitted data between time-periods was analysed. Results: A total of 148 patients were admitted, with a mean age of 54.6 +/- 16.3 years. A total of 1639 medicines were retrieved. Only 29% were collected simultaneously in the three sources of information, 40% were only obtained in shared electronic health records and only 5% were obtained exclusively from patients. The total number of medicines gathered in shared electronic health records considering the different time frames were 778 (three-months), 1397 (six-months), 1748 (nine-months), and 1933 (12-months). Discussion: The use of shared electronic health records provides data that were omitted in the other data sources available and retrieving the information at six months is the most efficient procedure to establish the basis of the best possible medication history. Conclusion: Shared electronic health records should be the preferred source of information to supplement the patient or caregiver interview in order to increase the accuracy of best possible medication history of the patient, particularly if collected within the prior six months

Vancomycin-Loaded, Nanohydroxyapatite-Based Scaffold for Osteomyelitis Treatment: In Vivo Rabbit Toxicological Tests and In Vivo Efficacy Tests in a Sheep Model

The treatment for osteomyelitis consists of surgical debridement, filling of the dead space, soft tissue coverage, and intravenous administration of antimicrobial (AM) agents for long periods. Biomaterials for local delivery of AM agents, while providing controllable antibiotic release rates and simultaneously acting as a bone scaffold, may be a valuable alternative; thus, avoiding systemic AM side effects. V-HEPHAPC is a heparinized nanohydroxyapatite (nHA)/collagen biocomposite loaded with vancomycin that has been previously studied and tested in vitro. It enables a vancomycin-releasing profile with an intense initial burst, followed by a sustained release with concentrations above the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) for MRSA. In vitro results have also shown that cellular viability is not compromised, suggesting that V-HEPHAPC granules may be a promising alternative device for the treatment of osteomyelitis. In the present study, V-HEPHAPC (HEPHAPC with vancomycin) granules were used as a vancomycin carrier to treat MRSA osteomyelitis. First, in vivo Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) toxicological tests were performed in a rabbit model, assuring that HEPHAPC and V-HEPHAPC have no relevant side effects. Second, V-HEPHAPC proved to be an efficient drug carrier and bone substitute to control MRSA infection and simultaneously reconstruct the bone cavity in a sheep model.This work was financed by FEDER-Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional funds through the COMPETE 2020-Operacional Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation (POCI), Portugal 2020; by Portuguese funds through FCT/MCTES in the framework of the project institute for Research and Innovation in Health Sciences (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007274); by the Project Biotherapies (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000012); and by the project HEPHAPC Program RESOLVE, Norte 2020 (NORTE-01-0246-FEDER-000018). The authors would also like to acknowledge the technical support for histology and histochemical studies of Rui Fernandes and Rossana Correia and all the staff from HEMS/i3S, as well as the support of all the staff and students at the Hospital Veterinario-Universidade de Evora

Evaluation of the Potential of Marine Algae Extracts as a Source of Functional Ingredients Using Zebrafish as Animal Model for Aquaculture

Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal (CISA)Research on immunotherapeutic agents has become a focus for the treatment of fish diseases. The ability of algae to produce secondary metabolites of potential interest as immunotherapeutics has been documented. The present research intended to assess antiviral and antibacterial activities of macro- and microalgae extracts against viral and bacterial pathogens and explore their immunomodulatory potential using zebrafish (Danio rerio) larvae as a model organism. The cytotoxicity and antiviral activity of eight methanolic and ethanolic extracts from two macroalgae (Fucus vesiculosus, Ulva rigida) and two microalgae (Nannochloropsis gaditana, Chlorella sp.) were analyzed in established fish cell lines. Six extracts were selected to evaluate antibacterial activity by disk diffusion and growth inhibition assays. The three most promising extracts were characterized in terms of fatty acid composition, incorporated at 1% into a plant-based diet, and evaluated their effect on zebrafish immune response and intestinal morphology in a short-term feeding trial. All extracts exhibited in vitro antiviral activity against viral hemorrhagic septicemia and/or infectious pancreatic necrosis viruses. Methanolic extracts from F. vesiculosus and U. rigida were richer in saturated fatty acids and exhibited in vitro antibacterial action against several bacteria. Most promising results were obtained in vivo with F. vesiculosus methanol extract, which exerted an anti-inflammatory action when incorporated alone into diets and induced pro-inflammatory cytokine expression, when combined with the other extracts. Moreover, dietary inclusion of the extracts improved intestinal morphology. In summary, the results obtained in this study support the potential of algae as natural sources of bioactive compounds for the aquaculture industry.M. Monteiro, A. S. Lavrador, R. A. Santos, and F. Rangel were supported by grants SFRH/BD/114995/2016, ZEBRALGRE_BM_2019-003, SFRH/BD/131069/2017, and SFRH/BD/138375/2018, respectively, from FCT — Foundation for Science and Technology, under the POCI program. A. Couto C. Serra and P. Enes have a scientific employment contract supported by national funds through FCT. E. da Costa and M. R. Domingues are financially supported by FCT/MCTES (Portugal) through CESAM (UIDB/50017/2020 + UIDP/50017/2020), QOPNA (FCT UID/QUI/00062/2019), LAQV/REQUIMTE (UIDB/50006/2020), and RNEM (LISBOA-01–0145-FEDER-402–022125). This research was partially supported by the Strategic Funding to UID/Multi/04423/2019 (POCI-01–0145-FEDER-007621) through national funds provided by FCT under the project PTDC/CVT-WEL/5207/2014.Peer reviewe

Meningioma and Breast Cancer: Survival of Patients with Synchronous and Metachronous Meningioma and Breast Cancer

The prognosis of the association between Breast Cancer (BC) and Meningioma (M) is unknown. To evaluate the survival impact of tumor exposure sequence in patients with both tumors. Patients were divided in groups according to the tumors sequence: BC before M (group 1), synchronous BC + M (group 2) and BC after M (group 3). The SEER database was used. Demographics, meningioma and breast cancer variables were analyzed. The primary outcome was oncological survival. A total of 1715 patients were included (median follow-up:84 months). Group 2 had the shortest survival (median:32 months) and group 1 the longest (median:110 months). On the unadjusted analysis, group 2 had the shortest survival (HR:3.13, 95% CI 1.62-6.04) and adjusted analysis confirmed this finding (HR 3.11, 95% CI 1.58-6.19), with no statistical difference between the metachronous tumors groups. Increasing age (HR:1.13, 95% CI 1.11-1.15, p < 0.005) and grade III meningioma (HR:4.51, 95% CI 1.90-10.69, p < 0.005) were related with lower survival. Meningioma treatment had no influence on the survival (p > 0.05). The association between surgery and radiotherapy in BC treatment improved the outcome (HR 0.37, 95% CI 0.23-0.93, p < 0.05). Grade III meningioma and receptor hormonal status influenced synchronous tumors (p < 0.05) but had no influence on metachronous tumors survival (p > 0.05) on stratified analysis. Synchronous tumors were associated with lower survival. Increasing age had a negative influence on patient survival. Although surgery and radiotherapy for breast cancer had a positive influence in the outcome, meningioma treatment was not related with survival. Grade III meningioma and hormonal receptor status only influenced synchronous tumors patient survival.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Cryptococcus neoformans var. grubii - Pathogenicity of environmental isolates correlated to virulence factors, susceptibility to fluconazole and molecular profile

The pathogenicity of Cryptococcus neoformans is heterogeneous and is associated with the expression of viru- lence factors. This study aimed to correlate the pathogenicity of C. neoformans var. grubii in BALB/c mice with in vitro virulence factors, fluconazole minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and molecular profiles, before and after animal passage. Ten environmental isolates and one ATCC strain of C. neoformans var. grubii mating type α were evaluated. Most isolates (91%) killed 50% or more of the infected animals by day 24 postinfection and were recovered from the lungs and brains of surviving animals on days 7 and 14 postinfection. The burden of yeast in the lungs was more variable than that in the brain. The differences in the expression of virulence factors (growth at 37º C, presence and size of the capsule and production of melanin, urease, proteinase and phospholipase) by most isolates pre and postpassage in animals were not statistically significant. The fluconazole MICs in postpassaged lines differed by a one-dilution from the MIC of the corresponding prepassaged line for six isolates. Using molecular typing [polymerase chain reaction-fingerprinting with (GACA)4 and M13], eight isolates were identified as VNI and three as VNII. We concluded that different isolates with the same molecular and phenotypic profiles, including isolates that are markedly hypervirulent, span a wide range of virulence and there were no changes in virulence factors in the postpassaged lines when compared with the corresponding nonpassaged lines

System level modelling of RF power amplifiers based on large-signal measurements

This paper demonstrates the extraction of three different system level behavioural models of power amplifiers from large signal time domain measurements. The modelling results are evaluated using a common independent CDMA2000SR1 telecommunication input signal. The capability of the models to predict long term memory effects is also evaluated by artificially modifying the bias network in one of the PA prototypes. © 2007 EuMA.IST-1-507893-NOE - TARGE