Prepandemic psychotropic drug status in Portugal: a nationwide pharmacoepidemiological profile

The prescription of psychotropic drugs has been rising in Europe over the last decade. This study provides a comprehensive profile of prepandemic consumption patterns of antidepressant, antipsychotic, and anxiolytic drugs in Portugal considering full nationwide psychotropic drug prescription and dispensing records (2016-2019) against several criteria, including active ingredient, sociodemographics, medical specialty, and incurred costs. An increase of 29.6% and 34.7% in the consumption of antipsychotics and antidepressants between 2016 and 2019 is highlighted, accompanied by an increase of 37M Eur in total expenditure (> 20M Eur in public copay) for these classes of drugs. Disparities in sociodemographic and geographical incidence are identified. Amongst other pivotal results, 64% of psychotropic drug prescriptions are undertaken by general practitioners, while only 21% undertaken by neurological and psychiatric specialties. Nationwide patterns of psychotropic drug prescription further reveal notable trends and determinants, establishing a reference point for cross-regional studies and being currently assessed at a national level to establish psychosocial initiatives and guidelines for medical practice and training.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Melanoma brain metastases presenting as delirium: a case report

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Proposal of a BEPU-FSAR

The accident analysis performance consists of a fundamental part of the licensing of the Nuclear Power Plants (NPP). There are conservative and best estimated methods to perform this analysis. Although Best Estimated Plus Uncertainty (BEPU) is used for qualified computational tools and methods of the accident analysis, it can be used in other parts of the Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR), which require Analytical Techniques (AT). The need for uncertainty quantification and harmonization of the approaches to use the computer codes is an important issue constituting the background to perform a BEPU-FSAR. The objective of this paper is to present the BEPU-FSAR concept and discuss how-to and why-to perform it

Phenology, population trends and natural enemy complex of Illinoia liriodendri in Spain

Illinoia liriodendri (Monell) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) is an Eastern North American native aphid species that infests ornamental tulip trees, Liriodendron tulipifera L. (Magnoliales: Magnoliaceae), in many localities of Spain and southern Europe. This is a comprehensive three-year study on the biology and ecology of the aphid, where its life cycle, phenology, population dynamic trends, comfort damages, natural enemy complex and its potential to control aphid populations have been investigated for the first time in Europe. The monoecic-holocyclic annual cycle of I. liriodendri has been demonstrated. The highest infestation levels were recorded in May and June, but infestation severity varied among localities. No clear trend regarding the effect of planting site (pit vs. ground) on aphid abundance was observed. A strong positive relationship between the aphid infestation severity and the honeydew dripping was recorded. There was a wide complex of natural enemies associated with the aphid. Coccinellidae were the most abundant predators (< 95%) and showed a positive numerical response to the aphid infestation. Several parasitoid species (mainly Hymenoptera: Aphidiinae and Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) were found parasitizing I. liriodendri in Spain. The role of natural enemies as agents for controlling the aphid populations is discussed.Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. R.M. received support through a FPI Grant linked to the project AGL2017- 84127-R, funded by the Spanish Government’s Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación. F.M. expresses gratitude for national funding provided by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) through the institutional scientific employment program contract. The authors would like to thank the Foundation for Science and Technology for their financial support through national funds FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC), CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020 and UIDP/00690/2020), and SusTEC (LA/P/0007/2020).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Recuperação Ecológica de Pedreiras no Parque Natural da Arrábida

Entende-se por recuperação ecológica o processo de auxílio ao restabelecimento de um ecossistema que foi degradado, danificado ou destruído,devendo-se assumir a conservação da sua biodiversidade de modo a garantir a possibilidade de retorno à sua trajectória histórica ou à desejada, tornando-o auto-sustentável. É neste contexto, que foram seleccionadas 2 pedreiras do núcleo Achada e Calhariz, das 11 licenciadas no Parque Natural da Arrábida (PNA), onde foram implementados, nas áreas já exploradas, os Planos Ambientais e de Recuperação Paisagística (PARP). No sentido de incentivar a implementação desses planos foi celebrado, em regime de parceria, um protocolo com o objectivo de produção de plantas autóctones (1999-2006) que envolveu a EDP, o INETI (actualmente LNEG), o PNA e os municípios de Setúbal e Palmela. Este protocolo resultou do desenvolvimento do projecto “Valorização de Efluentes Térmicos em Agricultura Protegida”, o qual deu origem à Estação de Propagação de Plantas Autóctones (EPPA) na Central Termoeléctrica de Setúbal (CTS), onde se produziram espécies vegetais autóctones e algumas com estatuto de protecção, que foram utilizadas neste núcleo e em outros planos de outras áreas protegidas e em locais de intervenção do grupo EDP. As espécies para a recuperação, das áreas já exploradas destas pedreiras, foram seleccionadas pelo PNA de acordo com os habitats pré-existentes e que ocorrem nas áreas envolventes para plantação entre 2001-2004 e monitorizadas desde então

Distinct roles of salt cations and anions upon the salting-out of electro-positive albumin

Precipitation experiments of electro-positive albumin by the action of a wide number of salts, and at differentconcentrations, were performed at a constant temperature (25 °C). The pH range studied covered extreme acidicconditions up to hydronium concentrations where the dissociation of the protein carboxyl groups becomes no-ticeable. The time required for the clouding phenomenon to occur and the quantity of salted-out protein werealso ascertained. The results here reported show that the salt anion is the main salting-out species for the posi-tively charged protein, where their efficacy in salting-out albumin from aqueous solution increases in theorder: F−bCl−bBr−bNO3−bI−bSCN−~ ClO4−bSO42−. Although at extreme pH conditions the salt cationhas no significant influence on the protein salting-out, experiments performed at higher pH values, where thecarboxyl groups starts to dissociate, revealed a non-monotonic effect of the salt upon protein precipitation. Weinterpret this observation as a result of the presence of different protein forms, with which the salt cation partic-ipates in chemical equilibrium. Overall, the proteins salting-out phenomenon induced by salt can be rationalizedby a general mechanism driven by electrostatic interactions and chemical equilibrium concepts.publishe

Optimization of a wind powered desalination and pumped hydro storage system

The penetration of intermittent renewable energy sources, for instances wind power, in the power system of isolated islands is limited, even when there is large potential. The wind power that cannot be directly injected in the power grid is usually curtailed. In addition, some islands need to desalinate seawater to produce fresh water, increasing the pressure on the power system, because desalination needs electricity. Nevertheless, the water scarcity problem of an island can be part of the solution of the problem of its integration of intermittent renewable energy sources. To tackle this issue, a system was proposed to use the excess wind power in desalination units and in a pumped hydro storage, resulting in an integrated power and water supply system that would minimize the wind power curtailed. This paper proposes a methodology to optimize the size and operational strategy of this wind powered desalination and pumped hydro storage system. The objective is to minimize the total annualized production costs, maximize the percentage of renewable energy sources in the total power production and minimize the wind power curtailed. To solve this optimization problem, a derivative free multiobjective optimization method (Direct MultiSearch) is used. This methodology is applied to the integrated power and water supply system proposed for the island of S. Vicente, in Cape Verde. The results show that the penetration of renewable energy sources can reach 84% with a 27% decrease of power and water production costs and 67% decrease of CO2 emissions, in relation to the values foreseen for 2020.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Trichophagia and trichobezoar: case report

OBJECTIVE: Trichobezoar consists of a compact mass of hair occupying the gastric cavity to a various extent. When the trichobezoar extends past the duodenum it is better referred to as Rapunzel Syndrome. Although trichobezoars are well described in terms of surgical diagnostic and procedure, there are only but very scarce reports on psychiatric literature, usually associated with trichotillomania. The authors present a clinical case of trichobezoar and discuss the most relevant aspects concerning this entity. METHODS: Presentation of psychiatric and surgical data concerning the case report. Previously reported cases are also mentioned. RESULTS: Report of a 27-year-old female patient with a trichobezoar submitted to surgical removal, with a prior intervention 4 years before also due to trichobezoar, and with unknown psychiatric antecedents or follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: A trichobezoar represents a serious surgical condition. It is important to consider such diagnosis in face of suggestive symptoms, even if signs of trichotillomania are not present. The discrepancies between the prevalence of trichotillomania and trichobezoars due to trichophagia may be due to issues related to self-selection of patients and symptom severity. Such issues may also be important in the study of impulsive-compulsive spectrum models and to their relevance to impulse control disorder

Poly(triazolyl methacrylate) glycopolymers as potential targeted unimolecular nanocarriers

© The Royal Society of Chemistry 2019.Synthetic glycopolymers are increasingly investigated as multivalent ligands for a range of biological and biomedical applications. This study indicates that glycopolymers with a fine-tuned balance between hydrophilic sugar pendant units and relatively hydrophobic polymer backbones can act as single-chain targeted nanocarriers for low molecular weight hydrophobic molecules. Non-covalent complexes formed from poly(triazolyl methacrylate) glycopolymers and low molecular weight hydrophobic guest molecules were characterised through a range of analytical techniques-DLS, SLS, TDA, fluorescence spectroscopy, surface tension analysis-and molecular dynamics (MD) modelling simulations provided further information on the macromolecular characteristics of these single chain complexes. Finally, we show that these nanocarriers can be utilised to deliver a hydrophobic guest molecule, Nile red, to both soluble and surface-immobilised concanavalin A (Con A) and peanut agglutinin (PNA) model lectins with high specificity, showing the potential of non-covalent complexation with specific glycopolymers in targeted guest-molecule delivery.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

On the stability around Chariklo and the confinement of its rings

Chariklo has two narrow and dense rings, C1R and C2R, located at 391 km and 405 km, respectively. In the light of new stellar occultation data, we study the stability around Chariklo. We also analyse three confinement mechanisms, to prevent the spreading of the rings, based on shepherd satellites in resonance with the edges of the rings. This study is made through a set of numerical simulations and the Poincar\'e surface of section technique. From the numerical simulation results we verify that, from the current parameters referring to the shape of Chariklo, the inner edge of the stable region is much closer to Chariklo than the rings. The Poincar\'e surface of sections allow us to identify the first kind periodic and quasi-periodic orbits, and also the resonant islands corresponding to the 1:2, 2:5, and 1:3 resonances. We construct a map of a versus e space which gives the location and width of the stable region and the 1:2, 2:5, and 1:3 resonances. We found that the first kind periodic orbits family can be responsible for a stable region whose location and size meet that of C1R, for specific values of the ring particles' eccentricities. However, C2R is located in an unstable region if the width of the ring is assumed to be about 120 m. After analysing different systems we propose that the best confinement mechanism is composed of three satellites, two of them shepherding the inner edge of C1R and the outer edge of C2R, while the third satellite would be trapped in the 1:3 resonance.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic