StemMapper: a curated gene expression database for stem cell lineage analysis.

Transcriptomic data have become a fundamental resource for stem cell (SC) biologists as well as for a wider research audience studying SC-related processes such as aging, embryonic development and prevalent diseases including cancer, diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases. Access and analysis of the growing amount of freely available transcriptomics datasets for SCs, however, are not trivial tasks. Here, we present StemMapper, a manually curated gene expression database and comprehensive resource for SC research, built on integrated data for different lineages of human and mouse SCs. It is based on careful selection, standardized processing and stringent quality control of relevant transcriptomics datasets to minimize artefacts, and includes currently over 960 transcriptomes covering a broad range of SC types. Each of the integrated datasets was individually inspected and manually curated. StemMapper's user-friendly interface enables fast querying, comparison, and interactive visualization of quality-controlled SC gene expression data in a comprehensive manner. A proof-of-principle analysis discovering novel putative astrocyte/neural SC lineage markers exemplifies the utility of the integrated data resource. We believe that StemMapper can open the way for new insights and advances in SC research by greatly simplifying the access and analysis of SC transcriptomic data. StemMapper is freely accessible at http://stemmapper.sysbiolab.eu

Soluble human Suppression of Tumorigenicity 2 is associated with endoscopic activity in patients with moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis treated with golimumab

Suppressor of Tumorigenicity 2 (ST2) is an IL33 receptor detected in the mucosa and serum of ulcerative colitis (UC) patients. We evaluated soluble ST2 (sST2) as a surrogate biomarker of disease outcome and therapeutic response, in moderate-to-severe UC patients treated with golimumab.Agência financiadora Merck Sharp and Dohme, Lda, Portugal MK8259-22info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Effects of chronic exercise on severity, quality of life and functionality in an elderly Parkinson’s disease patient: case report

Exercise produces potential influences on physical and mental capacity in patients with neuropsychiatric disor- ders, and can be made a viable form of therapy to treat Parkinson’s disease (PD). We report the chronic effects of a regu- lar physical exercise protocol on cognitive and motor functions, functional capacity, and symptoms in an elderly PD pa- tient without dementia. The patient participated of a program composed of proprioceptive, aerobic and flexibility exer- cises, during 1 hour, three days a week, for nine months. Patient used 600 mg of L-DOPA daily, and 1 hour prior to each exercise session. Assessment was conducted in three stages, 0-3, 3-6 and 6 to 9 months, using percentual variation to the scales Hoehn and Yahr, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Parkinson Activity Scale (PAS), Beck Depression In- ventory (BDI), and Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS-III). Reassessment showed clear changes in clini- cal parameters for Hoehn and Yahr (4 to 2.5), MMSE (14 to 22), PAS (13 to 29), BDI (9 to 7) and UPDRS-III (39 to 27) at the end of 9 months. According to our data, exercise seems to be effective in promoting the functional capacity and the maintenance of cognitive and motor functions of PD patients. Regular exercise protocols can be implemented as an ad- junctive treatment for reducing the severity of PD

Fractional exhaled nitric oxide in monitoring and therapeutic management of asthma

INTRODUCTION: Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease characterized by hyper-responsiveness and bronchial inflammation. The bronchial inflammation in these patients can be monitored by measuring the fractional exhaled nitric oxide. This study aims to determine fractional exhaled nitric oxide association with peak expiratory flow and with asthma control inferred by the Global Initiative for Asthma. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Observational, analytical and cross-sectional study of children with asthma, 6-12 years-old, followed in the Outpatient Respiratory Pathology of Braga Hospital. Sociodemographic and clinical information were collected through a questionnaire. fractional exhaled nitric oxide and peak expiratory flow were determined by portable analyzer Niox Mino® and flow meter, respectively. RESULTS: The sample is constituted by 101 asthmatic children, 63 (62.4%) of males and 38 (37.6%) females. The mean age of participants in the sample is 9.18 (1.99) years. The logistic regression performed with the cutoff value obtained by ROC curve, revealed that fractional exhaled nitric oxide (b(FENO classes) = 0.85; χ(2)Wald (1) = 8.71; OR = 2.33; p = 0.003) has a statistical significant effect on the probability of changing level of asthma control. The odds ratio of going from "controlled" to "partly controlled/uncontrolled" is 2.33 per each level of fractional exhaled nitric oxide. DISCUSSION: The probability of an asthmatic children change their level of asthma control, from 'controlled' to 'partly controlled/uncontrolled', taking into account a change in their fractional exhaled nitric oxide level, increases 133%

Tuberculose em idade pediátrica: características, incidência e distribuição geográfica (2000-2010)

Introdução: A infecção por Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) continua a assumir-se como um grave problema de Saúde Pública. A incidência na população pediátrica em 2010, em Portugal, oi de 3,3 casos/100000 crianças com menos de 15 anos. Este estudo tem por objectivo descrever os casos de TB, estimar as incidências e representar geograficamente a incidência de TB nas freguesias dos concelhos abrangidos pelo Centro de Diagnóstico Pneumológico de Braga (CDP) entre 2000 e 2010.Métodos: Estudo observacional, transversal e descritivo de doentes (0-18 anos) com TB registados no CDP.Resultados: Dos 28 casos de TB doença 18 (64%) correspondiam a doentes residentes no concelho de Braga. A mediana de idade foi de 13 [0-17] anos e 5 crianças tinham menos de 5 anos de idade. Cerca de 88% dos casos eram crianças nascidas em Portugal, existindo 6% de crianças provenientes da Roménia e do Brasil. A duração do tratamento (mediana) foi de 6 meses para as formas pulmonares e linfáticas e de 7 meses para TB pleural. A incidência anual estimada foi de 4,9 casos por 100 mil crianças, com o valor máximo em 2001 no Concelho da Póvoa de Lanhoso (30,1/100000). Relativamente ao concelho de Braga a incidência foi superior no ano de 2004 (9,2/100000). A análise estratificada por idade mostrou maior incidência para as crianças com idade ≥15 anos (5,2 casos/100000/ano). Globalmente os casos de TB distribuem-se pelas freguesias predominantemente urbanas e densamente povoadas.Conclusão: Verificou-se uma diminuição muito discreta da incidência de TB nos 5 concelhos do distrito de Braga. O maior número de casos de TB por 100 mil crianças ocorreu nos adolescentes com idade entre os 15 e 18 anos, reflectindo provavelmente a entrada activa na comunidade onde permaneceo potencial de transmissão. A distribuição geográfica das incidências veio confirmar que as medidas políticas e de prevenção devem ser direccionadas para determinados grupos populacionais

Asymmetric Mobility and Emigration of Highly Skilled Workers in Europe: The Portuguese case

Emigration is a chronic structural process of the Portuguese society. Th e discussion and key arguments raised in this chapter are mainly focused on data from a research project on Portuguese skilled emigration. Based on the outcomes of the BRADRAMO on-line survey to 1011 highly skilled emigrants it can be suggested that recent phenomena in general, and the crisis that began around 2008 in particular, profoundly transformed the patterns of Portuguese emigration. Nowadays, the country faces a brain drain dynamic that is dramatically altering the profiles of national migrants, emigration destinations, self-identity, and the strategies of those who leave the country. Academic mobility, mainly that promoted by the European Union (through grants from the Erasmus Program), created and fostered mobility flows that reinforced a latent mobility phenomenon. Once engaged in academic mobility programs, Portuguese higher education students tend to stay in the country of destination or, upon returning temporarily to Portugal, to evince a very strong predisposition to move to a country of the European Union. Th e profile of Portuguese high-skilled emigrants reveals a trend towards a permanent and a long-term (as opposed to a temporary or transitory) mobility, an insertion in the primary segment of the labor market of the destination countries, a predominance of professionals connected to the academic/scientific system and to professions requiring high skills, and a latent mobility (aft er a period of study in the country of destination) rather than direct mobility flows (aft er having entered in the employment system of the sending country)