Crédito e crescimento económico em Portugal: análise da causalidade

Nos últimos anos, o crédito tem vindo a revelar-se uma variável fundamental na interpretação das flutuações da economia. Este facto deriva do aumento da dependência das economias relativamente ao crédito, principalmente, aquando da crise económica e financeira e posterior recessão. Acredita-se que este período foi estimulado pelo aumento excessivo de crédito, incrementação do endividamento externo e, "a posteriori", pela implementação de políticas restritivas face ao crédito, que terão dificultado a recuperação de algumas economias. O presente estudo empírico tem como objetivo averiguar a relação existente entre o crédito atribuído ao setor privado e a evolução do produto real em Portugal entre o primeiro trimestre de 1998 e o primeiro trimestre de 2017. Pretende-se analisar se o crédito ajuda a prever as flutuações do ciclo económico, assim como, se o crédito, a longo prazo, é um fator decisivo do crescimento económico, controlando o efeito do financiamento externo. Para estudar os dois efeitos anteriormente descritos, utilizou-se metodologias de séries cronológicas, nomeadamente, estimação de modelos VAR e VECM. Os resultados obtidos sugerem que o crédito contém informações que ajudam a prever as flutuações do ciclo económico, independentemente do efeito externo. Em equilíbrio de longo prazo, e apesar de financiado, essencialmente, pelo exterior, o crédito contribui, positivamente, para o crescimento económico em Portugal. Assim, o crédito atribuído ao setor privado revelou-se um fator crucial na estabilização e expansão da economia portuguesa.The credit has been proving to be a determining factor of economic fluctuations, since this contains information about the economic activity. This statement derives from the increased dependence of economies with regard to credit, especially during the crisis and subsequent recession. It is believed that this period was stimulated by the excessive increase of credit, increased external debt, and, "a posteriori", by the implementation of restrictive policies due to the credit, which will have made difficult the recuperation of some economies. This empirical study aims to investigate the relationship between the credit assigned to the private sector and the evolution of the actual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Portugal from the first quarter of 1998 and the first quarter of 2017. The goal is to examine whether the credit helps predict the business cycle fluctuations and, in the long term, whether it is a decisive factor of economic growth, controlling the effect of external funding. To study these two effects, time series methodologies were used, in particular VAR and VECM estimation models. The results suggest that the credit contains information that helps predict the fluctuations of the business cycle, regardless of the external effect. In balance of long term, and although funded mainly from the outside, the credit contributes positively to the economic growth in Portugal. In this way, the credit assigned to the private sector revealed itself a crucial factor in stabilization and expansion of the Portuguese economy

Arquitetura e Educação: Atividades didáticas para compreender, interpretar e representar o espaço

Arquitetos e instituições ligadas à arquitetura de diversos países têm realizado trabalhos com a fnalidade de familiarizar as crianças e os jovens com a arquitetura. Grande parte das atividades promovidas têm lugar em contexto institucional,como museus e centros de arte. Tem-se também fomentado a criação de empresas e instituições que se dedicam, exclusivamente, ao desenvolvimento de projetosneste âmbito. Em Portugal, começam a surgir alguns trabalhos com o mesmo propósito, encontrando-se, maioritariamente, associados aos serviços educativos deinstituições, como a Casa da Arquitectura e o Museu de Serralves.Após o estudo de projetos realizados nesta área, analisando os contextose os objetivos com que são efetuados, propõe-se uma sequência de atividades desensibilização para a arquitetura, a implementar com uma turma de uma escola.Com esta atividade, procura-se trabalhar conceitos relacionados com a arquiteturapara que as crianças adquiram competências que lhes permitam compreender, interpretar e representar melhor os espaços que as rodeiam.Com a implementação deste exercício pretende-se, também, avaliar a importância que a realização deste tipo de atividades pode desempenhar ao nível dadivulgação da arquitetura junto de um público mais alargado, bem como averiguara possibilidade da sua articulação com o ensino escolar, desempenhando um papelcomplementar ao desenvolvimento infantil.Verifca-se que as crianças do estudo se mostram bastante recetivas à participação nas atividades, quer pela reação à diversidade de propostas apresentadas, quer pelo interesse manifestado pelos temas de arquitetura abordados. Comoresultado da intervenção, evidencia-se o contributo para o desenvolvimento globaldos alunos. Através da análise dos trabalhos, verifca-se que os alunos compreenderam os diversos conceitos abordados, tendo sido capazes de os aplicar no exercício fnal. Constata-se, assim, a aquisição para as crianças de novas ferramentaspara expressar as suas ideias de forma mais efcaz.Sendo a familiarização da arquitetura o desígnio desta dissertação, ao serrealizada em contexto escolar, considera-se que a atividade implementada se revela efcaz, visto conseguir abranger um público ainda mais lato do que aquele comquem se intervém diretamente.Architects and institutions connected to architecture from different countrieshave been developing works with the intent of familiarizing kids and young peoplewith architecture. A great part of those activities takes place in an institutional context, such as museums and art centres. There have also been given incentives to thecreation of companies and institutions that dedicate, exclusively, to the developmentof projects in the same feld of activity. In Portugal, there have started to emergesome works with the same purpose, associated, mainly, to the educative services ofcertain institutions, such as the Casa da Arquitectura and the Museu de Serralves.After the study of projects done in this area, analysing the contexts andobjectives that motivate them, we propose an action sequence to raise awarenessof architecture, to be implemented in the classroom. With this activity, we intend towork competencies so that the children acquire concepts related to architecture,becoming capable of understanding, interpreting and better representing the spaceswhich surround them.With the implementation of this exercise, we also wish to evaluate the importance that this kind of activities can achieve in the divulgation of the architecture to awider public. Additionally, we want to determine the possibility of its articulation withschool education, becoming complementary to the child's development.It is verifed that the children participating in the study show great receptiveness to the participation in these activities, not only through the reaction to thediversity of the proposals but also through the interest shown for the themes ofarchitecture. As a result of this intervention, we demonstrated the contribution tothe global development of the students. The analysis of the works shows that thestudents understood the various concepts approached, having been capable of applying them in the fnal exercise. It is noticed that the children have gained new toolsto express themselves in more effcient ways.Being the familiarization with architecture the goal of this dissertation, weconsider the implemented activity to be effective. It was even capable of embracinga larger group than that with which it intervened

Urinary Mass Spectrometry Profiles in Age-Related Macular Degeneration

We and others have shown that patients with different severity stages of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) have distinct plasma metabolomic profiles compared to controls. Urine is a biofluid that can be obtained non-invasively and, in other fields, urine metabolomics has been proposed as a feasible alternative to plasma biomarkers. However, no studies have applied urinary mass spectrometry (MS) metabolomics to AMD. This study aimed to assess urinary metabolomic profiles of patients with different stages of AMD and a control group. We included two prospectively designed, multicenter, cross-sectional study cohorts: Boston, US (n = 185) and Coimbra, Portugal (n = 299). We collected fasting urine samples, which were used for metabolomic profiling (Ultrahigh Performance Liquid chromatography-Mass Spectrometry). Multivariable logistic and ordinal logistic regression models were used for analysis, accounting for gender, age, body mass index and use of AREDS supplementation. Results from both cohorts were then meta-analyzed. No significant differences in urine metabolites were seen when comparing patients with AMD and controls. When disease severity was considered as an outcome, six urinary metabolites differed significantly (p < 0.01). In particular, two of the metabolites identified have been previously shown by our group to also differ in the plasma of patients of AMD compared to controls and across severity stages. While there are fewer urinary metabolites associated with AMD than plasma metabolites, this study identified some differences across stages of disease that support previous work performed with plasma, thus highlighting the potential of these metabolites as future biomarkers for AMD

Diabetic Choroidopathy: Choroidal Vascular Density and Volume in Diabetic Retinopathy With Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography

Purpose To compare choroidal vascular density (CVD) and volume (CVV) in diabetic eyes and controls, using en face swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT). Design Prospective cross-sectional study. Methods Setting: Multicenter. Patient Population: Total of 143 diabetic eyes—27 with no diabetic retinopathy (DR), 47 with nonproliferative DR (NPDR), 51 with NPDR and diabetic macular edema (DME), and 18 with proliferative DR (PDR)—and 64 age-matched nondiabetic control eyes. Observation Procedures: Complete ophthalmologic examination and SS-OCT imaging. En face SS-OCT images of the choroidal vasculature were binarized. Main Outcome Measures: CVD, calculated as the percent area occupied by choroidal vessels in the central macular region (6-mm-diameter circle centered on the fovea), and throughout the posterior pole (12 × 9 mm). The central macular CVV was calculated by multiplying the average CVD by macular area and choroidal thickness (obtained with SS-OCT automated software). Multilevel mixed linear models were performed for analyses. Results Compared to controls (0.31 ± 0.07), central macular CVD was significantly decreased by 9% in eyes with NPDR + DME (0.28 ± 0.06; ß = −0.03, P = .02) and by 15% in PDR (0.26 ± 0.05; ß = −0.04, P = .01). The central macular CVV was significantly decreased by 19% in eyes with PDR (0.020 ± 0.005 mm3, ß = −0.01, P = .01) compared to controls (0.025 ± 0.01 mm3). Conclusions Choroidal vascular density and volume are significantly reduced in more advanced stages of diabetic retinopathy. New imaging modalities should allow further exploration of the contributions of choroidal vessel disease to diabetic eye disease pathogenesis, prognosis, and treatment response.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Mesenchymal stromal cells’ therapy for polyglutamine disorders: where do we stand and where should we go?

Polyglutamine (polyQ) diseases are a group of inherited neurodegenerative disorders caused by the expansion of the cytosine-adenine-guanine (CAG) repeat. This mutation encodes extended glutamine (Q) tract in the disease protein, resulting in the alteration of its conformation/physiological role and in the formation of toxic fragments/aggregates of the protein. This group of heterogeneous disorders shares common molecular mechanisms, which opens the possibility to develop a pan therapeutic approach. Vast efforts have been made to develop strategies to alleviate disease symptoms. Nonetheless, there is still no therapy that can cure or effectively delay disease progression of any of these disorders. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) are promising tools for the treatment of polyQ disorders, promoting protection, tissue regeneration, and/or modulation of the immune system in animal models. Accordingly, data collected from clinical trials have so far demonstrated that transplantation of MSC is safe and delays the progression of some polyQ disorders for some time. However, to achieve sustained phenotypic amelioration in clinics, several treatments may be necessary. Therefore, efforts to develop new strategies to improve MSC's therapeutic outcomes have been emerging. In this review article, we discuss the current treatments and strategies used to reduce polyQ symptoms and major pre-clinical and clinical achievements obtained with MSC transplantation as well as remaining flaws that need to be overcome. The requirement to cross the blood-brain-barrier (BBB), together with a short rate of cell engraftment in the lesioned area and low survival of MSC in a pathophysiological context upon transplantation may contribute to the transient therapeutic effects. We also review methods like pre-conditioning or genetic engineering of MSC that can be used to increase MSC survival in vivo, cellular-free approaches-i.e., MSC-conditioned medium (CM) or MSC-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) as a way of possibly replacing the use of MSC and methods required to standardize the potential of MSC/MSC-derived products. These are fundamental questions that need to be addressed to obtain maximum MSC performance in polyQ diseases and therefore increase clinical benefits.Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology: SFRH/BD/148877/2019; CENTRO01-0145-FEDER-000008 CENTRO-01-0145FEDER-022095 POCI-01-0145-FEDER-016719 POCI-01-0145-FEDER-029716 POCI01-0145-FEDER-016807 POCI-01-0145-FEDER016390 UID4950/2020 CENTRO-01-0145-FEDER-022118info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Análise comparativa das características clínicas dos subtipos imunohistoquímicos de cancro da mama

Trabalho Final do Curso de Mestrado Integrado em Medicina, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, 2018Contexto: O cancro da mama é a neoplasia maligna mais frequente no sexo feminino, e importante causa de mortalidade. Vários estudos têm vindo a dar relevância a características biológicas e marcadores imunohistoquímicos tumorais, que permitem definir 4 subgrupos principais, aparentemente com implicações terapêuticas e prognósticas. Objetivo: O objetivo principal do estudo é analisar as características clínicas e anatomopatológicas nos 4 subtipos imunohistoquímicos de cancro da mama. Métodos: Foram avaliados retrospetivamente 1253 casos de tumores da mama dos quais 868 foram estudados e divididos por subtipos tumorais. Foram avaliadas e comparadas as características clínicas e anatomopatológicas de cada subtipo e a evolução durante o seguimento. Resultados: Obteve-se uma distribuição por subtipos tumorais com 70,5% de Luminais A, 10,9% Luminais B, 5,3% HER2-type e 9,9% Triplos negativos (TN). Houve diferença estatisticamente significativa em relação a idade, índice de massa corporal (IMC), tamanho tumoral, grau de diferenciação, número de gânglios positivos, tipo de cirurgia e sobrevivência específica de doença. Concluiu-se que o subtipo Luminal A se associou a idades mais avançadas e o subtipo TN a menor IMC. Os subtipos HER2-type e TN associaram-se mais frequentemente a maior tamanho tumoral, maior grau histológico e maior número de gânglios positivos, o que condicionou um pior prognóstico em ambos os grupos, sendo que HER2-type mostrou ter o pior prognóstico. O subtipo Luminal A associou-se a menor tamanho tumoral e grau histológico, menor número de gânglios positivos e melhor sobrevivência para o período de estudo. Conclusão: Os subtipos imunohistoquímicos apresentam características clínicas, anatomopatológicas e prognósticas próprias.Background: Breast cancer is globally the most common malignancy in women, and an important cause of death. Previous studies have been discussing the importance of biological and immunohistochemical (IHC) characteristics for the breast cancer classification, proposing them as being a tool capable of defining the 4 IHC subtypes, apparently with clinical, therapeutic and prognostic implications. Objective: The main objective of the work is to study the clinical and anatomopathological characteristics of the 4 immunohistochemical subtypes of breast cancer. Methods: The records of 1253 patients with breast cancer were retrospectively analyzed. 868 of these were included in the study and they were divided into subtypes. Clinical and anatomopathological characteristics were studied as well as the occurrences during the follow-up. Results: As the tumors were divided into subtypes, 70,5% were Luminal A, 10,9% Luminal B, 5,3% HER2-type and 9,9% Triple Negative (TN). There were significant differences in the distribution of tumor size, grade, type of surgery, node status, age, body mass index (BMI), recurrence and specific disease survival. Luminal A were associated with older age and TN were associated with lower BMI. HER2-type and TN subtypes were significantly associated with higher tumor size, grade and positive node status, which conditioned a worse prognosis. HER2-type have had the worse survival. Luminal A subtype were significantly associated with lower tumor size and grade, less positive node status and better disease specific survival in the follow-up studied. Conclusion: Immunohistochemical subtypes have typical clinical, anatomopathological and prognostic characteristics

A comparison of population differentiation in two shore crab species with contrasting distribution along the Portuguese coast, using two morphological methodologies

Along the Portuguese coast, Pachygrapsus marmoratus has a continuous distribution on rocky shores. In contrast, Carcinus maenas has a discontinuous distribution, inhabiting estuaries. Surveys along a coastal latitudinal gradient were made to assess the effect of the distribution pattern on population differentiation of these two species. Population differentiation was studied using two different morphometric methodologies: linear-based morphometrics and landmark-based morphometrics. The linear-based analysis revealed no significant morphological differentiation among the eleven P. marmoratus populations. Landmark-based analysis showed that the northern and central populations were more similar in shape than the southern populations. Nevertheless, there was still some overlap in shape that could be due to the continuous distribution of P. marmoratus along the coast, promoting population panmixia. In C. maenas, both morphometric techniques revealed the existence of morphological differentiation among populations. This shape differentiation showed a clinal variation, explained by a higher degree of isolation of populations that might be due to limited larval flow between them. Environmental factors may also play an important role in causing variation of shape. Landmark-based morphometrics yielded stronger evidence of morphological differences among forms than a linear approach, suggesting that this method may be more suitable for analysis of body shape