Characterization of potential intoxications with medicines in a regional setting

The Portuguese Poison Information Center (from Portuguese—CIAV) is a call center that offers medical assistance in case of possible intoxication with any kind of product, including medicines. This center´s main goal is to inform and guide the general public and health professionals. This work aimed to analyze and compare data corresponding to the telephone calls from the Algarve region (South of Portugal), received by CIAV during 2019 and 2020, regarding potential intoxications with medicines. To this end, data provided by CIAV on possible cases of medication intoxication in the Algarve region were collected, including the number of calls received, the place of origin of the call, the age group and sex of the intoxicated individual, the route of exposure to the drug, the circumstances of contact with the substance, the existence of symptoms, and the drug or drugs involved in the potential intoxication. The results showed that the number of cases slightly decreased in 2020 (n = 1261) compared with 2019 (n = 1340), with a high number of cases of intoxication in children between one and four years old in both years (21.2%; n = 152 in 2019; 16.4%; n = 115 in 2020). The drugs belonging to the locomotor system group (paracetamol and ibuprofen) were the main drugs involved, followed by the central nervous system pharmacotherapeutic group, namely benzodiazepines (diazepam and alprazolam). Paracetamol was the main drug responsible for the calls to CIAV (n = 71 in 2019; n = 63 in 2020), while for the remaining drugs there were fluctuations in their positions between both years. In some cases, this swinging may be explained by the possible changes in therapy due to potential interactions with drugs used for the treatment of symptoms of COVID-19 or perhaps related to misleading information released by the media about the use of some drugs, such as ibuprofen, during lockdown periods. Although there has been a decrease in calls to report possible drug intoxication in the Algarve region, the profile of calls was very similar. Paracetamol was the drug with the highest number of reported cases and the group of psychotropic drugs showed the largest increase between 2019 and 2020.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A competência da oralidade: práticas pedagógicas no contexto escolar

Numa sociedade multifacetada e exigente, onde reina a competitividade, saber falar, saber comunicar, tornam-se competências essenciais e indispensáveis para distinguir e fortalecer o “marketing” pessoal. A escola, enquanto peça-chave no ambiente linguístico de todos os jovens, herda distintas responsabilidades ao nível da preparação dos seus alunos. Na presente dissertação, apresentaremos algumas reflexões sobre o conceito de oracia, a sua importância e o modo como se implementa em contexto escolar, além de se proceder à sua visibilidade, quer nas orientações curriculares oficiais, quer no manual seleccionado. O nosso principal intuito é o de destacar a necessidade de repensar as técnicas tradicionais de ensino, encorajando a promoção do desenvolvimento de capacidades orais e, em simultâneo, sensibilizar para o incremento da oracia na escola. É inquestionável o reconhecimento por todos da primazia da oralidade, todavia, assiste--se a uma desvalorização desta componente, não garantindo, assim, a sua efectiva e eficiente realização em contexto escolar. A fim de dar corpo a este estudo, optou-se por centrar a acção pedagógica no ensino explícito da técnica da exposição oral, vital no domínio da oracia. A actividade foi aplicada a uma turma de 11º ano de escolaridade e derivou, essencialmente, dos resultados de uma diagnose que revelaram dificuldades de actuação dos discentes, no âmbito da estruturação dos seus discursos. Configurando a comunicação oral formal como um processo irreversível, torna-se indispensável que o seu estudo seja devidamente orientado e estruturado, remetendo para que na fase de preparação se seleccionem e organizem coerentemente as ideias a expor, factos que requerem uma participação activa por parte do aluno, acompanhado e orientado de modo individualizado pelo professor. Este procedimento vai fornecer um contexto de confiança e desinibição conducente a novas aprendizagens, o que contribuirá, indubitavelmente, para o desenvolvimento da autonomia do aluno no âmbito da expressão oral. De facto, um deficiente planeamento pode provocar uma sobrecarga cognitiva nos alunos, já que no momento da produção têm de controlar muitas variáveis. Esta aprendizagem é indiscutivelmente mais profícua, se for facultada ao aluno a oportunidade de se observar/analisar (autoscopia), de modo a poder reflectir sobre o seu desempenho e, deste modo, melhorar os aspectos menos conseguidos. Reconhecemos que ainda há um longo caminho a percorrer para se atingir a proficiência oral em contexto escolar, mas também estamos cientes que a exposição oral é um dos conteúdos que melhor servirá este desiderato: tornar o jovem um locutor activo e interventivo na sociedade a que pertence.In a multifaceted and demanding society, where competitiveness reigns, knowing how to speak, knowing how to communicate, become essential and indispensable competences to distinguish and strengthen our personal “marketing”. School, as a key element in the linguistic life of all youngsters, inherits distinct responsibilities in what concerns the preparation of the students. In this dissertation we will present some reflections on the concept of oracy, its importance and the way in which it is implemented in the school setting, apart from contributing to its visibility, both in the official curricular orientations and in the selected textbook. Our main objective is to emphasize the need to rethink the traditional teaching techniques, encouraging the promotion of the development of oral capacities and simultaneously sensibilizing for the use of oracy at school. Everybody recognizes the importance of oracy, nevertheless, we are assisting to a devalorization of this component, not guaranteeing thus its effective and efficient realization in the school setting. So as to make this research visible, we opted to center the pedagogical action in the explicit teaching of the oral explanation technique, vital in the domain of oracy. The activity was applied in an 11th grade class and was a main consequence of the results of a diagnosis that revealed action difficulties from the students in what concerns the structuring of their speeches. As oral communication is an irreversible process, it is indispensable that its study is duly oriented and structured, so that in the preparation phase the ideas to be exposed are coherently selected and organized. This requires an active participation of the student, being followed and oriented individually by the teacher. This procedure will provide the student with a context of no inhibition but confidence that will lead to new learning. This will consequently contribute for the development of autonomy of the student in what concerns oral communication. In fact, a lack of planning can cause a cognitive overcharge in the students, since they have to control many variables in the phase of production This learning is even more profitable if the student is provided with the opportunity to observe/analyze (self-analysis), so as to be able to reflect on his performance and so better the aspects not so well achieved. We recognize there is still a long way to go to achieve oral proficiency in a school setting, but we are also aware of the fact that oral exposition is one of the contents that will better serve this aim: make the youngsters active and interventive speakers in the society they belong to

Mechanical properties as printability predictors of Paroxetine-loaded filaments by fused deposition modeling

Poster presented at the 80th FIP World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Seville, Spain, 18-22 September 2022N/

Exploring the Applicability of Calorespirometry to Assess Seed Metabolic Stability Upon Temperature Stress Conditions—Pisum sativum L. Used as a Case Study

Original ResearchThe availability of phenotyping tools to assist breeding programs in the selection of highquality crop seeds is of obvious interest with consequences for both seed producers and consumers. Seed germination involves the activation of several metabolic pathways, such as cellular respiration to provide the required ATP and reducing power. This work tested the applicability of calorespirometry, the simultaneous measurement of heat and CO2 rates, as a phenotyping tool to assess seed respiratory properties as a function of temperature. The effect of temperature on seed germination was evaluated after 16 h of seed imbibition by calorespirometric experiments performed in isothermal mode at 15, 20, 25, and 28 C on the seeds of three cultivars of peas (Pisum sativum L.) commonly used in conventional agriculture (cvs. ‘Rondo’, ‘Torta de Quebrar’, and ‘Maravilha d’América’). Significant differences in metabolic heat rate and CO2 production rate (RCO2) as well as in the temperature responses of these parameters were found among the three cultivars. A seed germination trial was conducted during the 6 days of imbibition to evaluate the predictive power of the parameters derived from the calorespirometric measurements. The germination trial showed that the optimal germination temperature was 20 C and low germination rates were observed at extreme temperatures (15 or 28 C). The cv. ‘Torta de Quebrar’ showed significantly higher germination in comparison with the other two cultivars at all three temperatures. In comparison with the other two cultivars, ‘Torta de Quebrar’ has the lowest metabolic heat and CO2 rates and the smallest temperature dependence of these measured parameters. Additionally, ‘Torta de Quebrar’ has the lowest values of growth rate and carbon use efficiency calculated from the measured variables. These data suggest that calorespirometry is a useful tool for phenotyping physiologic efficiency at different temperatures during early germination stages, and can determine the seeds with the highest resilience to temperature variation, in this case ‘Torta de Quebrar’info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Risk factors for fractures in type 2 diabetic with chronic kidney disease stage: the saints and the sinners

Since the population in the developed world is aging, the burden offragility fractures is aconstantly increasing problem. Despite the fact that potent bone-specific pharmaceutical agents have become available, the problem of how to identify patients with high fracture risk yet remains an enigma. Some studies mention the role of a normal mineral metabolism is critical for skeletal development and preservation of bone integrity. The aim of this study isto investigate the association of mineralmetabolism with hip fractures in type 2 diabetic with chronic kidney disease (CKD)

Angels and demons regarding cardiovascular disease in diabetic renal patients: the role of FGF-23 Andklotho on the pulse pressure

The last decade have shown thatFGF23 and Klotho may have relevant independent actions on the renal and cardiovascular systems. Theyinterfere with vascular functions and may playa role in vascularcalcification, atherosclerosis and arteriolosclerosis. On the other hand, pulse pressureis awell-known risk factorof cardiovascular morbidityand mortality in renal patients. The aim of this study isto investigate the relationship between FGF-23 and Klothowith pulse pressure in type 2 diabetic with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages 2-3

Gla-rich protein (GRP) as an early and novel marker of vascular calcification and kidney dysfunction in diabetic patients with CKD: a pilot cross-sectional study

Vascular calcification (VC) is one of the strongest predictors of cardiovascular risk in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. New diagnostic/prognostic tools are required for early detection of VC allowing interventional strategies. Gla-rich protein (GRP) is a cardiovascular calcification inhibitor, whose clinical utility is here highlighted. The present study explores, for the first time, correlations between levels of GRP in serum with CKD developmental stage, mineral metabolism markers, VC and pulse pressure (PP), in a cohort of 80 diabetic patients with mild to moderate CKD (stages 2-4). Spearman's correlation analysis revealed a positive association of GRP serum levels with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and α-Klotho, while a negative correlation with phosphate (P), fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF-23), vascular calcification score (VCS), PP, calcium (x) phosphate (CaxP) and interleukin 6 (IL-6). Serum GRP levels were found to progressively decrease from stage 2 to stage 4 CKD. Multivariate analysis identified low levels of eGFR and GRP, and high levels of FGF-23 associated with both the VCS and PP. These results indicate an association between GRP, renal dysfunction and CKD-mineral and bone disorder. The relationship between low levels of GRP and vascular calcifications suggests a future, potential utility for GRP as an early marker of vascular damage in CKD.Portuguese Society of Nephrology (SPN) ; Portuguese national funds from FCT-Foundation for Science and Technology through the transitional provision DL57/2016/CP1361/CT0006 UIDB/04326/2020info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

University Teachers’ Conceptions of the University and the Place of Sustainability

In this phenomenographic qualitative research, the aim is to learn about the conceptions of university professors about the university. The study was carried out with 20 university professors: 10 from the School of Social Sciences and 10 from the School of Science and Technology of University of Évora with an average age of 54 years and over 20 years of professional activity. The data were collected through open questionnaires and then submitted to thematic and categorical content analysis. The conceptions of the university appear, in the voice of the teachers, centered on two main aspects. The first and more mentioned concerns the conception of the university as a space of production and diffusion of scientific knowledge, which refers to quality factors of higher education. The second brings out the conception of the university as a space of relationship with society together with underlying concerns for human development, cooperation, and the design of a more sustainable world

Klotho levels: association with insulin resistance and albumin-to-creatinine ratio in type 2 diabetic patients

The present study aimed at evaluating the relationship between Klotho levels and insulin resistance and albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR) in type 2 diabetic patients with CKD. We conducted an observational, cross-sectional study in our outpatient diabetic nephropathy clinic from 2014 to 2016, enrolling a total of 107 type 2 diabetic patients with stage 2-3 CKD, with a mean age of 59 years. Several clinical and laboratorial parameters were evaluated, including those related to mineral and carbohydrate metabolism. The mean eGFR at baseline was 53.2 mL/min, and the mean levels of ACR and Klotho were 181.9 A mu g/mg and 331.1 pg/m, respectively. In the simple linear regression model, Klotho levels were correlated with age, phosphorus, PTH, ACR, HOMA, IL-6, FGF-23, OxLDL, eGFR and vitamin D levels. Applying a multivariate linear regression model, only the ACR, HOMA-IR, FGF-23 and vitamin D independently influenced the Klotho levels. In the generalized linear model, only the Klotho groups were statistically significant as independent variable (p = 0.007). The results show that the group 1 ( 440) had higher odds in the higher ACR (ae181), ORa = 3.429, p = 0.014. There were no statistically significant differences between Klotho groups 2 and 3, and the HOMA-IR obtained showed that group 1 (2 when compared with group 3 (> 440), ORa = 21.59, p = 0.017. Our results showed that Klotho levels are influenced by FGF23, vitamin D and insulin resistance. This suggests that Klotho levels might be affected by renal function as well as having a relevant role on insulin metabolism and ACR homeostasis.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Gla-Rich protein, magnesium and phosphate associate with mitral and aortic valves calcification in Didabetic patients with moderate CKD

Accelerated and premature cardiovascular calcification is a hallmark of chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Valvular calcification (VC) is a critical indicator of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality in this population, lacking validated biomarkers for early diagnosis. Gla-rich protein (GRP) is a cardiovascular calcification inhibitor recently associated with vascular calcification, pulse pressure, mineral metabolism markers and kidney function. Here, we examined the association between GRP serum levels and mitral and aortic valves calcification in a cohort of 80 diabetic patients with CKD stages 2–4. Mitral and aortic valves calcification were detected in 36.2% and 34.4% of the patients and associated with lower GRP levels, even after adjustments for age and gender. In this pilot study, univariate, multivariate and Poisson regression analysis, show that low levels of GRP and magnesium (Mg), and high levels of phosphate (P) are associated with mitral and aortic valves calcification. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves showed that the area under the curve (AUC) values of GRP for mitral (0.762) and aortic (0.802) valves calcification were higher than those of Mg and P. These results suggest that low levels of GRP and Mg, and high levels of P, are independent and cumulative risk factors for VC in this population; the GRP diagnostic value might be potentially useful in cardiovascular risk assessment.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio