Aeroallergens sensitization in an allergic paediatric population of Cova da Beira, Portugal.

Cova da Beira is an interior central region of Portugal, with a population of 93,000 inhabitants. The first pollen counts performed in Portugal revealed the highest values of the country in this area. The aim of this study was to assess the aeroallergens sensitization in an allergic population, according to the age groups. In a 5 year period (1995-2000) 1790 consecutive outpatients were observed for suspected allergic symptoms. We included in this study all the 557 paediatric (< or = 15 years old) observed patients (317 male (57%) and 240 female (43%) with an average age of 7.6 < or = 4.2 years old). They were divided in three age groups (Group I: < or = 5 yr; Group II: 6-10 yr; Group III: 11-15 yr). 371 patients were submitted to skin prick tests to aeroallergens. 86.5% of these patients were sensitised to at least one allergen extract. The most representative aeroallergens sensitization were grasses mixture (44.9%), D. pteronyssinus (32.5%), D. farinae (29.1%), Olea europea (27.5%), Parietaria judaica (23.4%), cat dander (16.1%), Artemisia vulgaris (17.6%), Robinia pseudoacacia (12.2%), Platanus acerifolia (11.4%), Tilia cordata (11.4%) moulds mixture (11.2%), Plantago lanceolata (10.6%), dog dander (10.4%), and Pinus radiata (7.5%). The sensitisation to indoor aeroallergens, was similar in all age groups and it was less important than that of pollens. The prevalence of sensitisation to grasses was the greatest in all ages and the house dust mites sensitization was the second most prevalent. The highest pollens counts in this region could explain the early sensitisation even in young children

Self-concept and obsessive-compulsiveness as moderators of anxiety and depression: a Portuguese prospective study

Objective Research shows a high prevalence of psychopathology among medical students. This study aims to assess the time trend of depression, anxiety, self-concept and obsessive-compulsiveness in medical students within the first year (short-run) and over the years (long-run) of medical school, and to measure if self-concept and obsessive-compulsiveness predict anxiety and depression trends. Methods At baseline, 183 freshman students that enrolled at FMUP in the 2002/03 academic year were recruited; from these, 71 (39%) participated in the short-run study and were assessed at the beginning and at the end of the first year and 151 (83%) participated in the long-run study (assessed in the first, third and fifth year). Participants answered three self-report questionnaires: the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS), the Maudsley Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (MOCI) and a self-concept scale. Results In the long-run, there was a negative linear trend with time for the MOCI score (B=–0.68, p<0.001) and for the HADS anxiety score (B=–0.28, p<0.001), a positive linear trend for self-concept (B=1.37, p<0.001) and no association with depression (B=–0.05). The short-run results were opposite given that anxiety, depression and obsessive-compulsiveness increased and no differences were found for self-concept. After adjusting for self-concept and obsessive-compulsiveness, there was no effect of time on anxiety but there was a negative interaction between self-concept and time on depression scores. Conclusions: The effect of time on depression is moderated by a protective effect of self-concept, while obsessive-compulsiveness explained time trends on anxiety scores. It is important to understand and find the pathways of anxiety and depression to improve medical students’ mental health

A Relação Entre o Stress e os Estilos de Vida nos Estudantes de Medicina da Faculdade de Medicina do Porto

Diferentes estudos têm vindo a demonstrar que há mudanças significativas ao nível dos hábitos/estilos de vida dos estudantes do ensino superior e, verifica-se que, os estudantes de Medicina também evidenciam uma significativa propensão para a adopção de estilos de vida de risco para a saúde. Neste sentido, o presente trabalho pretende (i) caracterizar as principais fontes de stress académico dos estudantes da Faculdade de Medicina do Porto (FMUP) e a intensidade com que são experienciadas, (ii) investigar as variações com o sexo, ciclo de formação e deslocação da residência de origem, no stress académico e variáveis psicossociais associadas e, (iii) contribuir, pela primeira vez, para o estudo aprofundado do stress e estilos de vida dos estudantes de Medicina em Portugal. O estudo empírico contou com uma amostra de 251 estudantes dos sextos anos do Plano de Estudos da Licenciatura em Medicina da FMUP (160 do sexo feminino e 91 do sexo masculino), avaliados através dos seguintes instrumentos: (a) o Inventário de Fontes de Stress Académico no curso de Medicina (IFSAM), o Inventário de Respostas e Recursos Pessoais (IRRP), (b) o Questionário de Hábitos de Saúde, (c) o General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) e (d) o Inventário de Comportamento Interpessoal-breve (ICIbreve). Verificou-se uma prevalência de 58,2% de sintomas clínicos de stress e 47% dos estudantes revelam comportamentos de risco para a saúde, sendo as áreas de maior preocupação os hábitos alimentares, a prática de exercício físico, o consumo de álcool e tabaco, e a imagem corporal. O sexo e o ciclo de formação revelam uma influência significativa nas variáveis estudadas, sendo as estudantes do sexo feminino as que apresentam maiores níveis de stress académico, respostas de stress e baixa confiança na sua capacidade de coping; já os estudantes do ciclo básico revelam maiores níveis de stress geral, stress na gestão dos estilos de vida e nas respostas de stress. Este estudo poderá contribuir para alertar para a necessidade de intervir junto dos estudantes de Medicina, no sentido de prevenir as consequências negativas do stress académico e melhorar o bemestar e estilo de vida dos estudantes de Medicina, promovendo recursos individuais e sociais importantes

New Challenges in the Higher education area: university networks for internationalization and globalization.

The "A NAME for Health" project, funded by the EDULINK program, is a project that establishes A Network Approach in Medical Education (NAME) for the Pursuit of Quality in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and Health Systems. It aims to improve Health Care through an ongoing intervention quality program on Medical Education, at 4 HEIs in Portugal, Angola and Mozambique: Faculty of Medicine of University of Porto (project coordinator), Portugal; Faculty of Medicine of Agostinho Neto University, Luanda, Angola; Faculty of Medicine of Eduardo Mondlane University, Maputo, Mozambique; and Faculty of Health Sciences of Lúrio University, Nampula, Mozambique. São João Hospital, E.P.E. and Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation are associated with this Project.Specifically, this Higher Education project aims at reinforcing the Partner Institutions' ability to improve academic skills and clinical specializations in three priority areas (Paediatrics, Gynaecology & Obstetrics and Infectious Diseases) related with the Millennium Development Goals. The presence of a qualified network for Medical Education helps to elevate the overall level of medical care available to the people of Angola and Mozambique, through academic stimulation. The network's priority is to reinforce the capabilities and the existing strengths of the Higher Education sector, through the creation of a more qualified staff and supporting an efficient development of these HEIs.With these objectives in mind, three types of activities are being developed: structuring, academic and clinical activities. Structuring activities include the establishment of Centers for Medical Education, creation of a Network Technological Platform to the different HEI (e-learning and long-distance learning), and the establishment of Students Support Office; academic activities consist of an analysis of the medical curriculum, its reform, implementation and monitoring, and IT Seminar/Conference; clinical activities comprise the establishment of a mobility program for clinical teachers and physicians.The project's strength and sustainability come from the belief that improvements in the whole Health System will be attained through the improvement of clinical and academic practice.Increasing the Institutions' scientific, pedagogical and clinical levels will enhance the network of Portuguese speaking countries, strengthening the link between Medical Education Healthcare in the African Higher Education Institutions.Sustainability will also be reinforced through the Technological Platform (which will be maintained among the Institutions) since it will enhance the investments that are being done in the partner Universities' information and communication technologies.Curricular reforms and their adaptation to international standards, together with the expected multiplier effects obtained through the clinical mobility program, will also be a way of supporting academic and clinical sustainability after the conclusion of the project.The competence acquisitions in the three priority clinical areas will also have a multiplier effect at the level of knowledge transfer to the other health agents such as nurses and health community agents. Focusing on Medical Education by structuring its organization, will generate involvement of young medical students, which will be the future physicians and clinical teachers (The Project A NAME for Health is supported by EDULINK Program, Contract nr. 9 ACP RPR 118 # 29

Formation and Structure of a Current Sheet in Pulsed-Power Driven Magnetic Reconnection Experiments

We describe magnetic reconnection experiments using a new, pulsed-power driven experimental platform in which the inflows are super-sonic but sub-Alfv\'enic.The intrinsically magnetised plasma flows are long lasting, producing a well-defined reconnection layer that persists over many hydrodynamic time scales.The layer is diagnosed using a suite of high resolution laser based diagnostics which provide measurements of the electron density, reconnecting magnetic field, inflow and outflow velocities and the electron and ion temperatures.Using these measurements we observe a balance between the power flow into and out of the layer, and we find that the heating rates for the electrons and ions are significantly in excess of the classical predictions. The formation of plasmoids is observed in laser interferometry and optical self-emission, and the magnetic O-point structure of these plasmoids is confirmed using magnetic probes.Comment: 14 pages, 12 figures. Accepted for publication in Physics of Plasma

Protein formulations for emulsions and solid-in-oil dispersions

Needs from medical and cosmetic areas have led to the design of novel nanosized emulsions and solid-in-oil dispersions of proteins. Here, we describe the production of those emulsions and dispersions using high-energy methodologies such as high-pressure homogenization or ultrasound. Recent work has resulted in new mechanistic insights related to the formation of protein emulsions and dispersions. The production method and composition of these formulations can determine major parameters such as size, stability, and functionality, and therefore their final application. Aqueous nanoemulsions of proteins can be used for drug delivery, while solid-in-oil dispersions are often used in transdermal applications.This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2013 unit and COMPETE 2020 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006684

Cytogenetic characterization and genome size of the medicinal plant Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don

The genome size and organization of the important medicinal plant Catharanthus roseus is shown to correspond to 1C = 0.76 pg (~738 Mbps) and 2n = 16 chromosomes. The data provide a sound basis for future studies including cytogenetic mapping, genomics and breeding

Ricin B chain targeted to the endoplasmic reticulum of tobacco protoplasts is degraded by a CDC48- and vacuole-independent mechanism

The B chain of ricin was expressed and delivered to the endoplasmic reticulum of tobacco protoplasts where it disappeared with time in a manner consistent with degradation. This turnover did not occur in the vacuoles or upon secretion. Indeed, several lines of evidence indicate that, in contrast to the turnover of endoplasmic reticulum-targeted ricin A chain in the cytosol, the bulk of expressed ricin B chain was degraded in the secretory pathway

Scans for signatures of selection in Russian cattle breed genomes reveal new candidate genes for environmental adaptation and acclimation

Domestication and selective breeding has resulted in over 1000 extant cattle breeds. Many of these breeds do not excel in important traits but are adapted to local environments. These adaptations are a valuable source of genetic material for efforts to improve commercial breeds. As a step toward this goal we identified candidate regions to be under selection in genomes of nine Russian native cattle breeds adapted to survive in harsh climates. After comparing our data to other breeds of European and Asian origins we found known and novel candidate genes that could potentially be related to domestication, economically important traits and environmental adaptations in cattle. The Russian cattle breed genomes contained regions under putative selection with genes that may be related to adaptations to harsh environments (e.g., AQP5, RAD50, and RETREG1). We found genomic signatures of selective sweeps near key genes related to economically important traits, such as the milk production (e.g., DGAT1, ABCG2), growth (e.g., XKR4), and reproduction (e.g., CSF2). Our data point to candidate genes which should be included in future studies attempting to identify genes to improve the extant breeds and facilitate generation of commercial breeds that fit better into the environments of Russia and other countries with similar climates