Assessment of oil contamination in the bay of Porto Grande (Cape Verde) using the mullet Chelon bispinosus

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a group of persistent organic pollutants, some of which are mutagenic and carcinogenic so PAH concentrations in fish used for human consumption are crucial to assess impact to human health. Total PAH concentrations in muscle and liver of mullets Chelon bispinosus from the Bay of Porto Grande (Cape Verde) (four sites in the bay and a control) ranged from 112.7 to 779.5 and 291.5 to 7548.7 ng/g d. w., respectively. Two and three ring PAHs were the most frequent (72.8 to 90.8% in the muscle and 75.9 to 98.3% in the liver), but levels of carcinogenic PAHs (mainly Dibenzo (a,h) antracene) in certain sites (CN and PG) are of concern. Results reflect a chronic PAH pollution in the bay and sources are a mixture of anthropogenic (petrogenic and pyrolytic) and natural sources, making their identification extremely complex. Although, BaP levels were below the threshold established by Cape Verde and the European Union, BaPEs levels in muscle ranged from 0.28 to 3.66 ng/g w. w. and BAPEs and TPAHs exposure for the average adult was 0.02 to 0.26 and 1.6 to 11.2 μg/day, respectively. Further knowledge of PAH concentrations in other species are necessary for a proper environmental risk assessment policy.Key words: Bay of Porto Grande, Cape Verde, Chelon bispinosus, mullets, PAHs, BaPEs, daily intake

Successful Treatment of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus with Subcutaneous Immunoglobulin

The therapeutic efficacy of high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients is well established. However, side effects might limit its use and lead to the consideration of therapeutic alternatives, such as the subcutaneous formulation of immunoglobulin, which has been used in some patients with other autoimmune diseases. We report a case of SLE refractory to classical therapies. High-dose intravenous immunoglobulin was effective, but gave rise to significant side effects. The patient was successfully treated with subcutaneous human immunoglobulin, achieving and maintaining clinical and laboratory remission. A lower immunoglobulin dose was needed and no side effects were observed, compared to the intravenous administration. Subcutaneous immunoglobulin could be a better-tolerated and cost-saving therapeutic option for select SLE patients.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Reflections on Tiles (in Self-Assembly)

We define the Reflexive Tile Assembly Model (RTAM), which is obtained from the abstract Tile Assembly Model (aTAM) by allowing tiles to reflect across their horizontal and/or vertical axes. We show that the class of directed temperature-1 RTAM systems is not computationally universal, which is conjectured but unproven for the aTAM, and like the aTAM, the RTAM is computationally universal at temperature 2. We then show that at temperature 1, when starting from a single tile seed, the RTAM is capable of assembling n x n squares for n odd using only n tile types, but incapable of assembling n x n squares for n even. Moreover, we show that n is a lower bound on the number of tile types needed to assemble n x n squares for n odd in the temperature-1 RTAM. The conjectured lower bound for temperature-1 aTAM systems is 2n-1. Finally, we give preliminary results toward the classification of which finite connected shapes in Z^2 can be assembled (strictly or weakly) by a singly seeded (i.e. seed of size 1) RTAM system, including a complete classification of which finite connected shapes be strictly assembled by a "mismatch-free" singly seeded RTAM system.Comment: New results which classify the types of shapes which can self-assemble in the RTAM have been adde

Ulcerated Papules and nodules in an infant

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Horton's Disease. 40 Clinical Cases

Apresentamos uma casuística de 40 casos de Doença de Horton observados no Serviço de Medicina 2 e na Consulta de Doenças Autoimunes do Hospital de Santo António dos Capuchos, entre 1984 e 2002. Pretendemos comentar e destacar os aspectos práticos, clínicos, de diagnóstico e de terapêutica, relacionados com o adequado controle da doença, através da análise comparativa da literatura com os nossos dados

Conjunctival Kaposi's Sarcoma. An Unusual AIDS Presentation

O sarcoma de Kaposi ocular isolado surge em 0,3% a 5% dos doentes com SIDA, mas, em doentes com tumor disseminado, esta incidência aumenta para 15% a 20%. Apresentamos um caso de sarcoma de Kaposi epidémico, mucocutâneo, cuja primeira manifestação foi ocular. O tratamento inicial consistiu na administração quinzenal de daunorrubicina lipossómica e de anti-retrovíricos. Sob terapêutica houve progressão da doença, tendo sido a sua regressão conseguida, apenas, com um esquema alternativo de quimioterapia associada a cidofovir. Aproveitamos para rever esta entidade, em particular as formas oculares, e discutir a utilização de cidofovir no tratamento do sarcoma de Kaposi associado ao vírus herpes humano tipo 8

Estética da subversão e da violência nas obras de arte de Francis Bacon e Frida Kahlo

A partir das obras de Frida Kahlo e Francis Bacon, os autores discutem as dimensões da violência e do trauma presentes nas suas formas criativas e no impacto criado no espectador. Reflectem ainda sobre as suas ligações com a clínica no impacto/fenómeno contratransferencial e suas possibilidades transformacionai

A Variational Method in Out of Equilibrium Physical Systems

A variational principle is further developed for out of equilibrium dynamical systems by using the concept of maximum entropy. With this new formulation it is obtained a set of two first-order differential equations, revealing the same formal symplectic structure shared by classical mechanics, fluid mechanics and thermodynamics. In particular, it is obtained an extended equation of motion for a rotating dynamical system, from where it emerges a kind of topological torsion current of the form $\epsilon_{ijk} A_j \omega_k$, with $A_j$ and $\omega_k$ denoting components of the vector potential (gravitational or/and electromagnetic) and $\omega$ is the angular velocity of the accelerated frame. In addition, it is derived a special form of Umov-Poynting's theorem for rotating gravito-electromagnetic systems, and obtained a general condition of equilibrium for a rotating plasma. The variational method is then applied to clarify the working mechanism of some particular devices, such as the Bennett pinch and vacuum arcs, to calculate the power extraction from an hurricane, and to discuss the effect of transport angular momentum on the radiactive heating of planetary atmospheres. This development is seen to be advantageous and opens options for systematic improvements.Comment: 22 pages, 1 figure, submitted to review, added one referenc