Adult Tinea Capitis and Tinea Barbae in a Tertiary Portuguese Hospital: a 11-Year Audit

Adult tinea capitis and tinea barbae are nowadays considered uncommon in developed countries. Despite their potential for morbidity and healthcare costs, few series have attempted to characterise these infectious disorders. We conducted a cross-sectional study to analyse the epidemiological, clinical and mycological characteristics of adult tinea capitis and tinea barbae of a large tertiary centre in Southern Europe. All adult patients with a mycological-confirmed tinea capitis or barbae over a 11-year period (January 2008 to December 2018) were considered for the analysis. Concerning tinea capitis, 860 culture-confirmed diagnoses were made during this 11-year period, of which only 15 (1.5%) occurred in adults (15 patients). A disproportionately high number of patients were female and immunocompromised. Microsporum audouinii (20%) and Trichophyton rubrum (20%) were the most common isolates. Half of the cases were initially misdiagnosed. Regarding tinea barbae, 7 cases were diagnosed over this time period. Overuse of topical steroids was widespread in this population. Trichophyton rubrum was the infectious agent in all cases. Initial misdiagnosis was very common (43%). Adult tinea capitis and tinea barbae can still be observed in contemporary practice and remain a public health concern, with the immunosuppressed patient being particularly affected. Initial misdiagnosis is a common occurrence. Anthropophilic fungi are now the most common aetiologic agents of these infections, and they will probably continue to do so as the large urban centres expand peripherally. Awareness for this diagnosis is necessary to prevent unwarranted morbidity and costs.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Computational Models Development and Demand Response Application for Smart Grids

This paper focuses on computational models development and its applications on demand response, within smart grid scope. A prosumer model is presented and the corresponding economic dispatch problem solution is analyzed. The prosumer solar radiation production and energy consumption are forecasted by artificial neural networks. The existing demand response models are studied and a computational tool based on fuzzy clustering algorithm is developed and the results discussed. Consumer energy management applications within the InovGrid pilot project are presented. Computation systems are developed for the acquisition, monitoring, control and supervision of consumption data provided by smart meters, allowing the incorporation of consumer actions on their electrical energy management. An energy management system with integration of smart meters for energy consumers in a smart grid is developed

Diagnosis of pancreaticobiliary malignancy by detection of minichromosome maintenance protein 5 in biliary brush cytology

Background: Biliary brush cytology is the standard method of evaluating biliary strictures, but is insensitive at detecting malignancy. In pancreaticobiliary cancer minichromosome maintenance replication proteins (MCM 2–7) are dysregulated in the biliary epithelium and MCM5 levels are elevated in bile samples. This study aimed to validate an immunocolorimetric ELISA assay for MCM5 as a pancreaticobiliary cancer biomarker in biliary brush samples. methods: Biliary brush specimens were collected prospectively at ERCP from patients with a biliary stricture. Collected samples were frozen at −80 °C. The supernatant was washed and lysed cells incubated with HRP-labelled anti-MCM5 mouse monoclonal antibody. Test positivity was determined by optical density absorbance. Patients underwent biliary brush cytology or additional investigations as per clinical routine. results: Ninety-seven patients were included in the study; 50 had malignant strictures. Median age was 65 years (range 21–94) and 51 were male. Compared with final diagnosis the MCM5 assay had a sensitivity for malignancy of 65.4% compared with 25.0% for cytology. In the 72 patients with paired MCM5 assay and biliary brush cytology, MCM5 demonstrated an improved sensitivity (55.6% vs 25.0%; P=0.0002) for the detection of malignancy. conclusions: Minichromosome maintenance replication protein5 is a more sensitive indicator of pancreaticobiliary malignancy than standard biliary brush cytology

Role of SOCS-1 Gene on Melanoma Cell Growth and Tumor Development

Melanoma is the most aggressive form of skin cancer, and its incidence has increased dramatically over the years. The murine B16F10 melanoma in syngeneic C57Bl/6 mice has been used as a highly aggressive model to investigate tumor development. Presently, we demonstrate in the B16F10-Nex2 subclone that silencing of SOCS-1, a negative regulator of Jak/Stat pathway, leads to reversal of the tumorigenic phenotype and inhibition of melanoma cell metastasis. SOCS-1 silencing with short hairpin RNA affected tumor growth and cell cycle regulation with arrest at the S phase with large-sized nuclei, reduced cell motility, and decreased melanoma cell invasion through Matrigel. A clonogenic assay showed that SOCS-1 acted as a modulator of resistance to anoikis. In addition, downregulation of SOCS-1 decreased the expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (mainly the phosphorylated-R), Ins-Rα, and fibroblast growth factor receptor. In vivo, silencing of SOCS-1 inhibited subcutaneous tumor growth and metastatic development in the lungs. Because SOCS-1 is expressed in most melanoma cell lines and bears a relation with tumor invasion, thickness, and stage of disease, the present results on the effects of SOCS-1 silencing in melanoma suggest that this regulating protein can be a target of cancer therapy

In vivo Skin Irritation Potential of a Castanea sativa (Chestnut) Leaf Extract, a Putative Natural Antioxidant for Topical Application

Topical application of natural antioxidants has proven to be effective in protecting the skin against ultraviolet-mediated oxidative damage and provides a straightforward way to strengthen the endogenous protection system. However, natural products can provoke skin adverse effects, such as allergic and irritant contact dermatitis. Skin irritation potential of Castanea sativa leaf ethanol:water (7:3) extract was investigated by performing an in vivo patch test in 20 volunteers. Before performing the irritation test, the selection of the solvent and extraction method was guided by the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging test and polyphenols extraction (measured by the Folin Ciocalteu assay). Iron-chelating activity and the phenolic composition (high performance liquid chromatography/diode array detection) were evaluated for the extract obtained under optimized conditions. The extraction method adopted consisted in 5 short extractions (10 min.) with ethanol:water (7:3), performed at 40 degrees. The IC(50) found for the iron chelation and DPPH scavenging assays were 132.94 +/- 9.72 and 12.58 +/- 0.54 microg/ml (mean +/- S.E.M.), respectively. The total phenolic content was found to be 283.8 +/- 8.74 mg GAE/g extract (mean +/- S.E.M.). Five phenolic compounds were identified in the extract, namely, chlorogenic acid, ellagic acid, rutin, isoquercitrin and hyperoside. The patch test carried out showed that, with respect to irritant effects, this extract can be regarded as safe for topical application

Daily stress and coping among Emergency Response Officers: a case study

Purpose: Police in Europe are facing increased demands and diminished resources, and this is particularly prominent among Emergency Response Officers (EROs) working in poorer countries such as Portugal. Considering that daily stress and limited coping skills can result in detrimental consequences for officers ́ health and society welfare, this study investigated stress and coping among Portuguese EROs. Design: EROs completed daily diaries over 11 working days. Each diary entry included an open- ended stressor, coping section and a Likert-type scale to evaluate coping effectiveness. Data was analyzed using inductive and deductive content analysis procedures. The frequency of stressors, coping and coping effectiveness were calculated. Findings: EROs reported facing more operational stressors, particularly public disorder situations. However, gun situations were perceived as the most intense stressor. Emotion-focused coping (i.e., peer support) was more used than problem-focused. Despite variation in coping effectiveness in accordance to stressor experienced, longitudinal analysis suggests that PF coping is more effective. Research limitations/implications: Longitudinal methodologies should contemplate stress appraisal and coping effectiveness in order to fully understand stress and coping. Future studies should employ this methodology at a larger scale and over longer periods. Practical implications: Intervention programs for EROs should be multidimensional, targeting work conditions and resources, stress management, and coping effectiveness. Originality/value: Findings provide strong recommendations for future research and applied implications for stress prevention and effective coping interventions

Identification of potential serum peptide biomarkers of biliary tract cancer using MALDI MS profiling.

The aim of this discovery study was the identification of peptide serum biomarkers for detecting biliary tract cancer (BTC) using samples from healthy volunteers and benign cases of biliary disease as control groups. This work was based on the hypothesis that cancer-specific exopeptidase activities in serum can generate cancer-predictive peptide fragments from circulating proteins during coagulation

MULT: An allometric body mass index (ABMI) reference to assess nutritional status of multiethnic children and adolescents

Objectives To develop an allometric body mass index (ABMI) reference that adjusts the weight in relation to height, taking into account the changes during development (MULT ABMI reference), and to compare it with international BMI references. Methods The MULT ABMI reference was constructed through the LMS method, calculated with 65 644 ABMI observations of 17 447 subjects aged 5–22 years, from the United Kingdom, Ethiopia, India, Peru, Vietnam, Portugal, and Brazil. The M, S, and L curves of the MULT ABMI reference were compared with the curves of the MULT, World Health Organization (WHO), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), International Obesity Task Force (IOTF), and Dutch Growth Study (DUTCH). Results The greater differences in the M curve between MULT ABMI and WHO, CDC, IOTF, DUTCH, and MULT BMI references were around puberty (138 to 150 months for boys; 114 to 132 for girls). MULT ABMI presented S values similar to IOTF and DUTCH BMI references for boys 60 to 114 months and then became higher, approaching the MULT BMI S values from 198 to 240 months. For girls the MULT ABMI S values were close to the IOTF, CDC, and DUTCH from 60 to 110 months, and then became higher, approaching the MULT BMI S values until 240 months. Conclusion MULT ABMI presented an advantage in comparison to the existing BMI references because it takes into account the growth changes during puberty and is a new option to assess the nutritional status of multiethnic populations. Copyright: © 2024 de Oliveira et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.All phases of this study were supported in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brazil (CAPES) - Finance Code 001 (grant numbers 88887.368190/2019-00, 88887.356471/2019-00, 88887.461765/2019-00), in part by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico – CNPq (grant number 141836/2020-2), and in part by national Portuguese funds through the FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P., within the scope of projects UIDB/04750/2020 and LA/P/0064/2020, and by the Stimulus of Scientific Employment – Individual Support (CEECIND/01271/2018). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. There was no additional external funding received for this study

The Percentage of [−2]Pro–Prostate-Specific Antigen and the Prostate Health Index Outperform Prostate-Specific Antigen and the Percentage of Free Prostate-Specific Antigen in the Detection of Clinically Significant Prostate Cancer and Can Be Used as Reflex Tests

Context.—: There is a need to avoid the overdiagnosis of prostate cancer (PCa) and to find more specific biomarkers. Objective.—: To evaluate the clinical utility of [-2]pro-prostate-specific antigen ([-2]proPSA) derivatives in detecting clinically significant PCa (csPCa) and to compare it with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and with the percentage of free PSA (%fPSA). Design.—: Two hundred thirty-seven men (PSA: 2-10 ng/mL) scheduled for a prostate biopsy were enrolled. Parametric and nonparametric tests, receiver operating characteristic curves, and logistic regression analysis were applied. Outcomes were csPCa and overall PCa. Results.—: Both [-2]proPSA derivatives were significantly higher in csPCa and overall PCa (P < .001). The areas under the curves for the prediction of csPCa were higher for the percentage of [-2]proPSA (%[-2]proPSA) (0.781) and the prostate health index (PHI) (0.814) than for PSA (0.651) and %fPSA (0.724). There was a gain of 11% in diagnostic accuracy when %[-2]proPSA or PHI were added to a base model with PSA and %fPSA. Twenty-five percent to 29% of biopsies could have been spared with %[-2]proPSA (cutoff: ≥1.25%) and PHI (cutoff: ≥27), missing 10% of csPCas. The same results could have been achieved by using [-2]proPSA as a reflex test, when %fPSA was 25% or less (cutoffs: ≥1.12% and ≥24 for %[-2]proPSA and PHI, respectively). Conclusions.—: The [-2]proPSA derivatives improve the diagnostic accuracy of csPCa when the PSA value is between 2 and 10 ng/mL, sparing unnecessary biopsies and selecting patients for active surveillance. [-2]proPSA can be used as a reflex test when %fPSA is 25% or less, without reducing the diagnostic accuracy for csPCa and the number of spared biopsies.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The role of multidisciplinary meetings for benign pancreatobiliary diseases: a tertiary centre experience

Multidisciplinary meetings are central to the management of chronic and complex diseases and they have become widely established across the modern healthcare. Patients with pancreatobiliary diseases can often present with complex clinical dilemmas, which fall out with the scope of current guidelines. Therefore, these patients require a personalised management approach discussed in a multidisciplinary meeting