Red-shifted and pH-responsive imidazole-based Azo Dyes with potent antimicrobial activity

A novel route is described to obtain 2 aminoimidazole azo dyes with unique substituents pattern in the heteroaryl unit that provides halochromic properties, exhibiting vibrant colours that change from magenta to deep blue. Potent antimicrobial properties against infectious yeasts were demonstrated. No cytotoxicity was detected for concentrations lower than 16 μg·mL-1This work wasfunded by European Regional Development Fund and the National Foundation for Science and Technology of Portugal (FCT) under the projects UIDB/00686/2020, UIDP/00264/2020, UIDB/04423/2020, UIDP/04378/2020, UIDB/04378/2020, LA/P/0140/2020, MEDCOR PTDC/CTM-TEX/ 1213/2020, SFRH/BD/137668/2018, and PINFRA/22161/2016

Programa de seguimento protocolado de doentes com insuficiência cardíaca : impacto no prognóstico e na qualidade de vida

© 2020 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license.Introduction: Heart failure is associated with high rates of readmission and mortality, and there is a need for measures to improve outcomes. This study aims to assess the impact of the implementation of a protocol-based follow-up program for heart failure patients on readmission and mortality rates and quality of life. Methods: A quasi-experimental study was performed, with a prospective registry of 50 consecutive patients discharged after hospitalization for acute heart failure. The study group was followed by a cardiologist at days 7-10 and the first, third, sixth and 12th month after discharge, with predefined procedures. The control group consisted of patients hospitalized for heart failure prior to implementation of the program and followed on a routine basis. Results: No significant differences were observed between the two groups regarding mean age (67.1±11.2 vs. 65.8±13.4 years, p=0.5), NYHA functional class (p=0.37), or median left ventricular ejection fraction (27% [19.8-35.3] vs. 29% [23.5-40]; p=0.23) at discharge. Mean follow-up after discharge was similar (11±5.3 vs. 10.9±5.5 months, p=0.81). The protocol-based follow-up program was associated with a significant reduction in allcause readmission (26% vs. 60%, p=0.003), heart failure readmission (16% vs. 36%, p=0.032), and mortality (4% vs. 20%, p=0.044). In the study group there was a significant improvement in all quality of life measures (p<0.001). Conclusion: A protocol-based follow-up program for patients with heart failure led to a signif-icant reduction in readmission and mortality rates, and was associated with better quality of life.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Non‐invasive telemonitoring improves outcomes in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction : a study in high‐risk patients

© 2020 The Authors. ESC Heart Failure published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.Aims: Non-invasive telemonitoring (TM) in patients with heart failure (HF) and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (HFrEF) may be useful in the early diagnosis of HF decompensation, allowing therapeutic optimization and avoiding re-hospitalization. We describe a TM programme in this population and evaluate its effectiveness during a 12 month period. Methods and results: We conducted a single-centre study of patients discharged from hospital after decompensated HF, allocated into three groups: prospective TM programme, prospective HF protocol follow-up programme (PFP) with no TM facilities, and retrospective propensity-matched usual care (UC). TM effectiveness was assessed by all-cause hospitalizations and mortality; HF-related hospitalization (HFH), days lost to unplanned hospital admissions/death, functional capacity and quality of life (New York Heart Association, Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire, 6 min walk test, and plasma N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide) were also evaluated. A total of 125 patients were included [65.9 ± 11.9 years, 32% female, left ventricular ejection fraction 27% (21-32)]. TM was similar to PFP regarding effectiveness; TM reduced all-cause hospitalization and mortality (HR 0.27; 95% CI 0.11-0.71; P < 0.01) and HFH (HR 0.29; 95% CI 0.10-0.89; P < 0.05) as compared with UC. TM reduced the average number of days lost due to unplanned hospital admissions or all-cause death as compared with PFP (5.6 vs. 12.4 days, P < 0.05) and UC (5.6 vs. 48.8 days, P < 0.01). Impact on quality of life was similar between TM and PFP (P = 0.36). Conclusions: In patients with HFrEF and recent HF hospitalization, non-invasive TM reduced 12 month all-cause hospitalization/mortality and HFH as compared with usual care. TM also reduced the number of days lost due to unplanned hospital admission/death as compared with either an optimized protocol-based follow-up programme or usual care.This work was supported by National Health System programme with specific budget attributed to non-invasive TM of HF patients. TM was performed in cooperation with Linde Healthcare®, which had no role in the data interpretation or writing of the report. The corresponding author had full access to all the data in the study and had the final responsibility for the decision to submit for publication.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Portuguese propolis: a source of valuable bioactivities

To FEDER/COMPETE/POCI– Operational Competitiveness and Internationalization Programme, under Project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006958 and FCT - Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, under the project UID/AGR/04033/2013

Escola Vista de Fora: o que dizem as famílias?

O artigo objetiva analisar a visão expressa nas falas das famílias, sobre a escola de seus filhos. Analisam-se as respostas abertas de questionários respondidos em quatro escolas municipais de Campinas-SP, eleitas pelo critério de contraste: maior e menor nível socioeconômico. Na análise foram considerados os temas Qualidade do Ensino; Relacionamento escola-comunidade; Organização escolar; Razões da apreciação da escola; Atividades extraturno; Segurança. Percebe-se uma visão diferencial da escola relacionada à classe social e que ouvir as famílias permite conhecer o lugar ocupado pela escola em suas vidas, elucidando aspectos nem sempre claros aos profissionais que, se considerados, podem contribuir com a trajetória escolar dos estudantes

The complete genome sequence of Chromobacterium violaceum reveals remarkable and exploitable bacterial adaptability

Chromobacterium violaceum is one of millions of species of free-living microorganisms that populate the soil and water in the extant areas of tropical biodiversity around the world. Its complete genome sequence reveals (i) extensive alternative pathways for energy generation, (ii) ≈500 ORFs for transport-related proteins, (iii) complex and extensive systems for stress adaptation and motility, and (iv) wide-spread utilization of quorum sensing for control of inducible systems, all of which underpin the versatility and adaptability of the organism. The genome also contains extensive but incomplete arrays of ORFs coding for proteins associated with mammalian pathogenicity, possibly involved in the occasional but often fatal cases of human C. violaceum infection. There is, in addition, a series of previously unknown but important enzymes and secondary metabolites including paraquat-inducible proteins, drug and heavy-metal-resistance proteins, multiple chitinases, and proteins for the detoxification of xenobiotics that may have biotechnological applications