Human case of West Nile neuroinvasive disease in Portugal, summer 2015

A case of West Nile virus (WNV) infection was reported in the Algarve region, Portugal, in the first week of September 2015. WNV is known to circulate in Portugal, with occasional reports in horses and birds (2004 to 2011) and very sporadically human cases (in 2004 and in 2010). Here we present the clinical and laboratory aspects related to the first human case of West Nile neuroinvasive disease reported in Portugal

Assessing educational leadership: a competence-complexity based test

This study is focused on the validation of a leadership test, based on a complex model of leadership skills, as a tool for assessing teacher’s educational competence, viewed as important in conduting adolescent and adult learning classes. Its specific purpose is to establish the norms and interpretation criteria for the test, in educational contexts. The model highlights the skills for leadership effectiveness, in a definite cultural setting, the Academy of East Timor National Police, viewing leadership as an essential way of steering human systems. The postulates of the model hypothesize the positivity of leadership as a result from an appropriate combination of power and information, while executing the fundamental activities of dinamizing and controlling the performance and results of the learning ativities. The test was applied to a sample of trainees in an educational military context, the Academy of East Timor National Police. The results of their evaluations on each competence for leadership effectiveness were valid and reliable. Nevertheless, the authors plan to test this tool in other specific contexts, in order to complete the evaluation of the leadership complex set of competences required by educational contexts.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Targeted nanotherapeutics for the treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection

Helicobacter pylori infection is involved in gastric diseases such as peptic ulcer and adenocarcinoma. Approved antibiotherapies still fail in 10 to 40% of the infected patients and, in this scenario, targeted nanotherapeutics emerged as powerful allies for H. pylori eradication. Nano/microparticles conjugated with H. pylori binding molecules were developed to eliminate H. pylori by either (i) blocking essential mechanisms of infection, such as adhesion to gastric mucosa or (ii) binding and killing H. pylori through the release of drugs within the bacteria or at the site of infection. Glycan antigens (as Lewis B and sialyl-Lewis X), pectins, lectins, phosphatidylethanolamine and epithelial cell membranes were conjugated with nano/microparticles to successfully block H. pylori adhesion. Urea-coated nanoparticles were used to improve drug delivery inside bacteria through H. pylori UreI channel. Moreover, nanoparticles coated with antibodies against H. pylori and loaded with sono/photosensitizers, were promising for their application as targeted sono/photodynamic therapies. Further, non-specific H. pylori nano/microparticles, but only active in the acidic gastric environment, coated with binders to bacterial membrane, extracellular polymeric substances or to high temperature requirement A protease, were evaluated. In this review, an overview of the existing nanotherapeutics targeting H. pylori will be given and their rational, potential to counteract infection, as well as level of development will be presented and discussed.This work was financed through FCT-Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia/ Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação in the framework of the projects POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007274, PyloriBinders-Helicobacter pylori specific biomaterials for antibiotic-free treatment/diagnostic of gastric infection and through the project NanoPyl®: nanoparticles to control Helicobacter pylori (CI0115-2022), Caixa Research Validate, Fundación La Caixa. Authors also thank FCT for Rute Chitas (SFRH/BD/151081/2021) and Diana R. Fonseca (SFRH/BD/146890/2019) PhD grants and Paula Parreira (CEECIND/01210/2018) for the Junior Researcher contract. Maria. Cristina L. Martins also acknowledges FCT (LA/P/0070/2020) and MOBILIsE Project, which has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement no. 951723

The PML-RAR alpha transcript in long-term follow-up of acute promyelocytic leukemia patients

Background and Objectives. Detection of PML-RAR alpha transcripts by RT-PCR is now established as a rapid and sensitive method for diagnosis of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), Although the majority of patients in longterm clinical remission are negative by consecutive reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assays, negative tests are still observed in patients who ultimately relapse. Conversion from negative to positive PCR has been observed after consolidation and found to be a much stronger predictor of relapse. This study reports on 47 APL patients to determine the correlation between minimal residual disease (MRD) status and clinical outcome in our cohort of patients. Design and Methods. The presence of PML-RAR alpha t transcripts was investigated in 47 APL patients (37 adults and 10 children) using a semi-nested reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction to evaluate the prognostic value of RT-PCR tests. Results. All patients achieved complete clinical remission (CCR) following induction treatment with all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and chemotherapy (CHT) or ATRA alone. Patients were followed up between 2 and 117.6 months (median: 37 months). Relapses occurred in 11 patients (9 adults and 2 children) between 11.4 and 19 months after diagnosis (median: 15.1 months) while 36 patients (28 adults and 8 children) remained in CCR, Seventy-five percent of patients carried the PML-RARa long isoform (bcr 1/2) which also predominated among the relapsed cases (9 of 11) but did not associate with any adverse outcome (p = 0.37), For the purpose of this analysis, minimal residual disease tests were clustered into four time-intervals: 0-2 months, 3-5 months, 5-9 months and 10-24 months. Interpretation and Conclusions. Children showed persisting disease for longer than adults during the first 2 months of treatment, At 2 months, 10 (50%) of 20 patients who remained in CCR and 4 (80%) of 5 patients who subsequently relapsed were positive. Patients who remained in CCR had repeatedly negative results beyond 5.5 months from diagnosis. A positive MRD test preceded relapse in 3 of 4 tested patients. The ability of a negative test to predict CCR (predictive negative value, PNV) was greater after 6 months (> 83%), while the ability of a positive test to predict relapse (predictive positive value, PPV) was most valuable only beyond 10 months (100%). This study (i) highlights the prognostic value of RT-PCR monitoring after treatment of APL patients but only from the end of treatment, (ii) shows an association between conversion to a positive test and relapse and (iii) suggests that PCR assessments should be carried out at 3-month intervals to provide a more accurate prediction of hematologic relapses but only after the end of treatment, (C) 2001, Ferrata Storti Foundatio

Control of Pain and Dyspnea in Patients with Oncologic Disease in Acute Care: Non-Pharmacological Intervention

Objective: To identify non-pharmacological strategies in the control of pain and dyspnea, in patient with oncological disease, in acute care. Methodology: Question in PI[C]O format was used and search at EBSCO (MEDLINE with Full TEXT; CINAHL, Plus with Full Text; British Nursing Index) retrospectively from 2009 to 2015. We included also guidelines by reference entities: Oncology Nursing Society (2011) National Comprehensive Cancer Network and Cancer Care Ontario, resulting in a total of 15 articles. Results: The gold standard for an adequate symptom control is a systematized assessment. Non-pharmacological measures: psycho-emotional support, hypnosis, counseling/training/ instruction, therapeutic adherence, music therapy, massage, relaxation techniques, telephone support, functional and respiratory reeducation increase health gains. Conclusion: The control of oncologic pain and dyspnea require a comprehensive and multimodal approach

Influence of Immobilization Strategies on the Antibacterial Properties of Antimicrobial Peptide-Chitosan Coatings

It is key to fight bacterial adhesion to prevent biofilm establishment on biomaterials. Surface immobilization of antimicrobial peptides (AMP) is a promising strategy to avoid bacterial colonization. This work aimed to investigate whether the direct surface immobilization of Dhvar5, an AMP with head-to-tail amphipathicity, would improve the antimicrobial activity of chitosan ultrathin coatings. The peptide was grafted by copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) chemistry by either its C- or N- terminus to assess the influence of peptide orientation on surface properties and antimicrobial activity. These features were compared with those of coatings fabricated using previously described Dhvar5-chitosan conjugates (immobilized in bulk). The peptide was chemoselectively immobilized onto the coating by both termini. Moreover, the covalent immobilization of Dhvar5 by either terminus enhanced the antimicrobial effect of the chitosan coating by decreasing colonization by both Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) bacteria. Relevantly, the antimicrobial performance of the surface on Gram-positive bacteria depended on how Dhvar5-chitosan coatings were produced. An antiadhesive effect was observed when the peptide was grafted onto prefabricated chitosan coatings (film), and a bactericidal effect was exhibited when coatings were prepared from Dhvar5-chitosan conjugates (bulk). This antiadhesive effect was not due to changes in surface wettability or protein adsorption but rather depended on variations in peptide concentration, exposure, and surface roughness. Results reported in this study show that the antibacterial potency and effect of immobilized AMP vary greatly with the immobilization procedure. Overall, independently of the fabrication protocol and mechanism of action, Dhvar5-chitosan coatings are a promising strategy for the development of antimicrobial medical devices, either as an antiadhesive or contact-killing surface.This work was financed by the FCT- Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia through projects POCI-01-0145-FEDER-031781 (AntINFECT), UIB/50006/2020 (LAQV-REQUIMTE) and FEDER—Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional through NORTE 2020—Programa Operacional Regional do Norte-Bio2Skin Advanced (NORTE-01-0247-FEDER-047225). M Barbosa (SFRH/BD/108966/2015) and Pedro Alves (SFRH/BD/145471/2019) Ph.D. grants were financially supported by national (FCT/Norte 2020 Framework) and European Union funds (ESF—European Social Fund). Paula Parreira (CEECIND/01210/2018) and Maria Cristina L. Martins (LA/P/0070/2020) also thank FCT for funding. Maria Cristina L. Martins also acknowledges the MOBILIsE Project, which has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement no. 951723

Surface Grafted MSI-78A Antimicrobial Peptide has High Potential for Gastric Infection Management

As we approach the end of the antibiotic era, newer therapeutic options, such as antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), are in urgent demand. AMP surface grafting onto biomaterials has been described as a good strategy to overcome problems associated with their in vivo stability. Helicobacter pylori is among the bacteria that pose greatest threat to human health, being MSI-78A one of the few bactericidal AMPs against this bacterium. Here, we report that MSI-78A grafted onto model surfaces (Self-Assembled Monolayers –SAMs), in a concentration of 30.3 ± 1.2 ng/cm2 determined by quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D), was able to kill, by contact, 98% of planktonic H. pylori in only 2 h. This fact was not verified against the control bacteria (Staphylococcus epidermidis), although the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of MSI-78A in solution is much lower for S. epidermidis (2 µg/mL) than for H. pylori (64 µg/mL). Our results also demonstrated that, in opposite to other bacteria, H. pylori cells were attracted to ethylene glycol terminated (antiadhesive) surfaces, which can explain the high bactericidal potential of grafted MSI-78A. This proof of concept study establishes the foundations for development of MSI-78A grafted nanoparticles for gastric infection management within a targeted nanomedicine concept.This article is a result of the project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-00012, (NORTE 2020) and FCT/MCTES-through the UID/BIM/04293/2019, PTDC/CTM-BIO/4043/2014, UID/QUI/50006/2013 (LAQV-REQUIMTE) projects. Claudia Monteiro acknowledges FCT for the SFRH/BPD/79439/2011 grant

Diffusion coefficients of chlorophenols in water by computer simulation

Cholophenols have found extensive industrial applications as wood preservatives or intermediated compounds for pesticide synthesis, and are also by-products of wood pulp bleaching processes [1]. As a result, they are nowadays common natural water contaminants, being considered priority substances by recent European Directives for Environmental Protection, due to their toxicity and persistence. The establishment of theoretical models to study environmental fate of chlorophenols is an important scientific topic. On the other hand, some unit operations are used to remove them from wastewater, such as adsorption [2] and reverse osmosis [3]. In both approaches, the knowledge of some key properties is needed, such as diffusion coefficients in water. Despite of their obvious importance, the diffusion coefficients of chlorophenols in water are scarce in literature and in many cases have to be estimated. Computer simulation can provide a way to systematically estimate this parameter for chlorophenol chemical family