A gripe em Portugal: análise preliminar da atividade gripal 2014/2015

Agradecimentos: À Rede Portuguesa de Laboratórios para o Diagnóstico da Gripe, aos Médicos-Sentinela, aos Serviços de Urgência e de Obstetrícia e aos participantes no estudo EuroEVA. À Inês Batista pelo apoio logístico prestado à Rede Médicos-Sentinela. À Doutora Cristina Furtado pela revisão científica do artigo.Objetivo: Pretende-se com a presente publicação, divulgar a análise preliminar da atividade gripal em Portugal na época de 2014/2015 (entre 15 de setembro de 2014 e 20 de março de 2015)

Influenza in Portugal, 2014/2015 season

During 2014/2015 season the influenza activity was high, the epidemic period was observed between week 1/2015 and 8/2015 with a maximum of 148 ILI cases per 105 inhabitants in week 4/2015. The influenza B virus, A(H3) and A(H1)pdm09 co-circulated during the season, although influenza B were dominant throughout the winter, except for weeks 4, 6 and 7/2015 where it was detected in co-dominance with influenza A virus, situation that contrasts with European influenza picture. The antigenic and genetic analysis of circulating influenza A(H3) and B virus showed differences regarding 2014/2015 influenza vaccine strains. 70% of A(H3) viruses belonged to subgroup 3C.2a, antigenically different from vaccine strain. A (H3) positive were recorded in higher percentage in children (0 to 4 years: 40.0% and 5 to 14 years: 39.7%) and in adults over 65 years (36, 8%). A(H1)pdm09 virus were sporadically detected and were similar to the vaccine A/California/7/2009 strain. In general, the detected influenza viruses were similar to those recommended strains for next winter`s vaccine 2015/2016

Caraterização virológica dos vírus da gripe que circularam em Portugal na época 2014/2015

Introdução e objetivo: A monitorização contínua das propriedades antigénicas e genéticas dos vírus da gripe é essencial, quer para a seleção anual das estirpes virais a incluir na vacina, quer para identificar novas linhas de orientação da terapêutica antiviral. O presente estudo descreve as caraterísticas antigénicas e genéticas dos vírus da gripe identificados em Portugal no inverno de 2014/2015

Ramificação e distribuição dos nervos frênicos no músculo diafragma do gato doméstico

The ramification and the distribution of the phrenic nerves right and left had been studied in 30 muscles diaphragms of unknown breed adult domestic cats, 7 males and 23 females, and were fixed in 10% buffered formalin solution. After fixation and dissection, it was observed that the phrenic nerves ramified for the respective carnous parts of the muscle diaphragm, pars lumbalis, costalis and sternalis, and had finished in higher frequency in dorsolateral trunk and ventral branch (63.33%). We observed the following arrangements: dorsal, ventral and lateral branches (25.0%); dorsal branch and ventrolateral trunk (6.66%); dorsolateral and ventrolateral trunks (3.33%); dorsolateral trunk, lateral and ventral branches (1.66%). The phrenic nerves had distributed symmetrically in 11 samples (36.66%), only showing the termination in dorsolateral trunk and ventral branch. The dorsal branches supplied pars lumbalis (73.33% to right and 56.66% to the left) and pars costalis (13.33% to right and 10.0% to the left). The right dorsal branch supplied the crus mediale dexter of the right pillar (100.0%) and the left dorsal branch supplied the crus mediale sinister of the right pillar and the left pillar (100.0%). The lateral branches supply pars lumbalis (23.33% to right and 33.33% to the left), pars costalis (96.66% to right and 100.0% to the left) and pars sternalis (3.33% only to the right). The ventral branches supplied the ventral region of pars costalis (46.66% to right and 43.33% to the left) and pars sternalis (96.66% to right and 100.0% to the left). Four female animals (13.33%) had shown fibers crossing proceeding from the left ventral branch for right antimere had been that in one of these samples (3.33%) occurred connection between the left ventral branch and the right.A ramificação e a distribuição dos nervos frênicos direito e esquerdo foram estudadas em 30 músculos diafragmas de gatos domésticos sem raça definida, 7 machos e 23 fêmeas, conservados em solução de formaldeído a 10%. Mediante fixação e dissecção, observou-se que os nervos frênicos se ramificaram para as respectivas partes carnosas do músculo diafragma, pars lumbalis, costalis e sternalis, e terminaram em maior freqüência em tronco dorsolateral e ramo ventral (63,33%). Notou-se ainda os seguintes arranjos: ramos dorsal, lateral e ventral (25,0%); ramo dorsal e tronco ventrolateral (6,66%); troncos dorsolateral e ventrolateral (3,33%); tronco dorsolateral, ramos lateral e ventral (1,66%). Os nervos frênicos se distribuíram simetricamente em 11 exemplares (36,66%), exibindo somente a terminação em tronco dorsolateral e ramo ventral. Os ramos dorsais inervaram a pars lumbalis (73,33% à direita e 56,66% à esquerda) e a pars costalis (13,33% à direita e 10,0% à esquerda). O ramo dorsal direito supriu a crus mediale dexter do pilar direito (100,0%) e o ramo dorsal esquerdo inervou a crus mediale sinister do pilar direito e o pilar esquerdo (100,0%). Os ramos laterais inervaram a pars lumbalis (23,33% à direita e 33,33% à esquerda), a pars costalis (96,66% à direita e 100,0% à esquerda) e a pars sternalis (3,33% somente à direita). Os ramos ventrais inervaram a região ventral da pars costalis (46,66% à direita e 43,33% à esquerda) e a pars sternalis (96,66% à direita e 100,0% à esquerda). Quatro animais fêmeas (13,33%) exibiram cruzamento de fibras provenientes do ramo ventral esquerdo para o antímero direito sendo que em um desses exemplares (3,33%) ocorreu conexão entre o ramo ventral esquerdo e o direito

Comparative complete scheme and booster effectiveness of COVID‐19 vaccines in preventing SARS‐CoV‐2 infections with SARS‐CoV‐2 Omicron (BA.1) and Delta (B.1.617.2) variants: A case–case study based on electronic health records

Background: Information on vaccine effectiveness in a context of novel variants of concern (VOC) emergence is of key importance to inform public health policies. This study aimed to estimate a measure of comparative vaccine effectiveness between Omicron (BA.1) and Delta (B.1.617.2 and sub-lineages) VOC according to vaccination exposure (primary or booster). Methods: We developed a case–case study using data on RT-PCR SARS-CoV2-positive cases notified in Portugal during Weeks 49–51, 2021. To obtain measure of comparative vaccine effectiveness, we compared the odds of vaccination in Omicron cases versus Delta using logistic regression adjusted for age group, sex, region, week of diagnosis, and laboratory of origin. Results: Higher odds of vaccination were observed in cases infected by Omicron VOC compared with Delta VOC cases for both complete primary vaccination (odds ratio [OR] = 2.1; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.8 to 2.4) and booster dose (OR = 5.2; 95% CI: 3.1 to 8.8), equivalent to reduction of vaccine effectiveness from 44.7% and 92.8%, observed against infection with Delta, to 6.0% (95% CI: 29.2% to 12.7%) and 62.7% (95% CI: 35.7% to 77.9%), observed against infection with Omicron, for complete primary vaccination and booster dose, respectively. Conclusion: Consistent reduction in vaccine-induced protection against infection with Omicron was observed. Complete primary vaccination may not be protective against SARS-CoV-2 infection in regions where Omicron variant is dominant.Grant no. 2021/PHF/23776; POCI-01-0145-FEDER-022184; Project ALG-D2-2021-06info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Position statement on nutrition therapy for overweight and obesity: nutrition department of the Brazilian association for the study of obesity and metabolic syndrome: ABESO 2022

© The Author(s) 2023. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated in a credit line to the data.Obesity is a chronic disease resulting from multifactorial causes mainly related to lifestyle (sedentary lifestyle, inadequate eating habits) and to other conditions such as genetic, hereditary, psychological, cultural, and ethnic factors. The weight loss process is slow and complex, and involves lifestyle changes with an emphasis on nutritional therapy, physical activity practice, psychological interventions, and pharmacological or surgical treatment. Because the management of obesity is a long-term process, it is essential that the nutritional treatment contributes to the maintenance of the individual's global health. The main diet-related causes associated with excess weight are the high consumption of ultraprocessed foods, which are high in fats, sugars, and have high energy density; increased portion sizes; and low intake of fruits, vegetables, and grains. In addition, some situations negatively interfere with the weight loss process, such as fad diets that involve the belief in superfoods, the use of teas and phytotherapics, or even the avoidance of certain food groups, as has currently been the case for foods that are sources of carbohydrates. Individuals with obesity are often exposed to fad diets and, on a recurring basis, adhere to proposals with promises of quick solutions, which are not supported by the scientific literature. The adoption of a dietary pattern combining foods such as grains, lean meats, low-fat dairy, fruits, and vegetables, associated with an energy deficit, is the nutritional treatment recommended by the main international guidelines. Moreover, an emphasis on behavioral aspects including motivational interviewing and the encouragement for the individual to develop skills will contribute to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Therefore, this Position Statement was prepared based on the analysis of the main randomized controlled studies and meta-analyses that tested different nutrition interventions for weight loss. Topics in the frontier of knowledge such as gut microbiota, inflammation, and nutritional genomics, as well as the processes involved in weight regain, were included in this document. This Position Statement was prepared by the Nutrition Department of the Brazilian Association for the Study of Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome (ABESO), with the collaboration of dietitians from research and clinical fields with an emphasis on strategies for weight loss.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Arbustus unedo essence: morphological and genetic characterization of the strawberry tree of Castelo de Paiva

O medronheiro é um arbusto da região mediterrânica que pode ser encontrada por todo o país. Ao contrário do que verifica na região sul do país, no concelho de Castelo de Paiva é atribuída uma reduzida importância económica a esta espécie. Com o intuito de preservar e potenciar a produção desta espécie e contribuir para a dinamização da economia do concelho, procedeu-se à caracterização morfológica e genética de uma amostra da população de medronheiros de Castelo de Paiva. A caracterização morfológica e genética foi realizada para um total de 10 genótipos. Para tal recolheram-se 70 folhas aleatoriamente em cada árvore. Em 40 folhas mediu-se o comprimento, largura, comprimento do pedúnculo, peso fresco, peso seco e determinou-se a área foliar. Dos caracteres morfológicos analisados, aqueles que se revelaram mais úteis na distinção dos vários genótipos foram: comprimento do pedúnculo, peso fresco e peso seco. As restantes 30 folhas foram utilizadas para a caracterização genética. Esta caracterização foi realizada recorrendo a um marcador de DNA, ISSR. Os 5 primeiros exemplaresutilizados na técnica de ISSR demonstraram-se polimórficos. Os resultados da caracterização genética sugerem que a variabilidade genética na população é média a alta.The strawberry tree is a shrub native in the Mediterranean region and it can be found throughout Portugal. Unlike the case in the southern region of the country, in Castelo de Paiva a minor economic importance is given to this species. In order to preserve, to enhance the production of this species and to contribute to the boosting of the economy of the region, we proceeded to the characterization of a small sample population of this fruit tree of Castelo de Paiva in what concerns to its morphology and genetics. The morphological and genetic characterization was performed for a total of 10 genotypes. For this, 70 leaves were randomly collected from each tree. For 40 leaves, it was measured the length, the width, the peduncle length, the wet weight, the dry weight and determined the leaf area. Of the morphological characteristics analyzed, the ones that proved most useful in distinguishing the various genotypes were: the length peduncle, the wet weight and the dry weight. The remaining 30 leaves were used in the genetic characterization. This characterization was performed using a DNA marker, the ISSR. The 5 primers used in the ISSR technique proved to be polymorphic. The results from the genetic characterization suggest that variability in population genetics is medium to high