Desigualdades de (cis e trans)género. Portugal no contexto europeu

Falar de desigualdades de género, mesmo no sentido mais tradicional das diferentes oportunidades para homens e mulheres, é difícil em Portugal. Imperam discursos que interpretam as desigualdades entre homens e mulheres como algo ultrapassado (remetendo-o para o passado), inultrapassável (porque decorrente das diferenças biológicas), ou justificadamente ultrapassável (por outro tipo de desigualdades mais relevantes, como a classe social ou a origem étnica). O primeiro nega a existência de desigualdades, muitas vezes com a justificação da ausência de discriminação na legislação; o segundo nega a relação de poder presente na naturalização social das diferenças biológicas entre homens e mulheres; e o terceiro, mais informado, reconhece as desigualdades de género mas relega-as para segundo plano, ao invés de salientar o modo como as categorias de desvantagem se potenciam e adquirem contornos particulares na interseção com o género (por exemplo, nas mulheres pobres ou nas mulheres negras).info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Paths to interdisciplinarity in higher education: Comparative analysis of experiences in Portugal

In a context of intense changes and global competitiveness, education is becoming increasingly relevant. In the underpinning societal challenges, higher education institutions are asked to innovate, by adopting a more flexible curriculum and promoting interdisciplinary experiences (OECD, 2019; Falcus, Cameron & Halsall, 2019). Within this scope, the present communication analyses three solutions of interdisciplinarity: (a) Open study plans, without outset disciplinary specialization, which incorporate in their realization a significant margin of freedom on the part of the students in the elaboration of their educational curriculum; (b) Courses which although registered in an area of disciplinary specialization, in their syllabus incorporate an interdisciplinary and "multi-vocational" orientation in their training-profession relations, offering wide-ranging opportunities for interdisciplinary training choices; (c) Education-training contexts built on the principle that higher education experiences, as constituent pillars of choices with a future for their students, should necessarily incorporate activities inside and outside the classroom, in a fruitful relationship with different aspects of academic, civic, economic and cultural life. The question that guides us focuses on different solutions indicated, presenting them as possible paths, complementary and/or alternative, in the materialization of the contemporary demand for interdisciplinarity. For this purpose, the study analyses a graduate study program of the type: (a) offered by the largest Portuguese public university; two types (b) graduation and post-graduation programs at another university and, in this same university, characterizes the context of interdisciplinarity type (c). The analysis of the data collected allows an understanding of the difficulties inherent in multidisciplinary dialogue, but, at the same time, it points the way to solutions that reconcile the need for specialist expertise with interdisciplinary openness.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Predictors of survival and technical success of bronchoscopic interventions in malignant airway obstruction

Background: Malignant airway obstruction (MAO) leads to quality of life impairment and increased mortality. Interventional bronchoscopy allows airway patency restoring, leading to a better survival. We investigated predictors of survival and successful bronchoscopic intervention among MAO patients. Methods: This observational prospective study enrolled 100 patients who were newly diagnosed with MAO. Survival was estimated with Kaplan-Meier method and curves compared by log-rank test. Multivariate analyses were performed using Cox proportional hazard models. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used for odds ratio calculation. Results: A proportion of 73% of the patients were male with a median age was 62.5 years (range, 21–88 years). Lung cancer was the most common primary malignancy (74%). The majority had single (61%), endoluminal (62%) lesions and were classified as grade III in Myer Cotton scale (57%). The most used techniques comprised mechanical debulking (n=81) and laser therapy (n=68). Twenty-two airway stents were placed. While eleven patients were considered untreatable, technical success was achieved in 78%. Haemorrhage was the most common acute complication (16%). No deaths occurred as a result of the procedure. Median global survival was 8 months. Adjusting for age and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status (ECOG), extrinsic compression or mixed airway obstructions [hazard ratio (HR) =2.075; P=0.012], successful bronchoscopic intervention (HR =0.468; P=0.025) and initiation of cancer treatment (HR =0.373; P=0.006) were independent predictors of survival. The absence of distal airway patency on thoracic CT was independently associated with failure of the intervention [odds ratio (OR) =0.013; P<0.001]. Conclusions: Interventional bronchoscopy has proven to be an efficient and safe strategy to manage MAO patients. The patients who benefit the most in terms of survival are those with purely endoluminal lesions, in whom technical success was achieved and those whose cancer-specific treatment was initiated. Distal airway patency on thoracic CT predicts the technical success of bronchoscopic intervention

Akt and STAT5 mediate naïve human CD4+ T-cell early metabolic response to TCR stimulation

Metabolic pathways that regulate T-cell function show promise as therapeutic targets in diverse diseases. Here, we show that at rest cultured human effector memory and central memory CD4+ T-cells have elevated levels of glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), in comparison to naïve T-cells. Despite having low resting metabolic rates, naive T-cells respond to TCR stimulation with robust and rapid increases in glycolysis and OXPHOS. This early metabolic switch requires Akt activity to support increased rates of glycolysis and STAT5 activity for amino acid biosynthesis and TCA cycle anaplerosis. Importantly, both STAT5 inhibition and disruption of TCA cycle anaplerosis are associated with reduced IL-2 production, demonstrating the functional importance of this early metabolic program. Our results define STAT5 as a key node in modulating the early metabolic program following activation in naive CD4+ T-cells and in turn provide greater understanding of how cellular metabolism shapes T-cell responses

Massas pulmonares bilaterais. Mesma etiologia?

Resumo: Os autores descrevem o caso de uma mulher de 50 anos, fumadora. Assintomática até Setembro de 2003, altura em que refere o aparecimento de tosse seca, cansaço e perda de peso. Na radiografia do tórax eram evidentes duas massas, uma no lobo superior direito e outra no lobo lingular. A doente foi submetida a biópsia aspirativa transtorácica e a citologia obtida foi compatível com carcinoma de pulmão do tipo pequenas células. No estadiamento da doença foram identificadas lesões hepáticas secundárias, motivo porque a doença foi considerada como disseminada, dada a existência de lesões hepáticas e pulmonares contra-laterais. Foi, nesta fase, iniciada quimioterapia com carboplatinum e etoposídeo. Seis meses mais tarde, a lesão direita inha diminuído, mas a lesão esquerda apresentava aumento das suas dimensões. A biópsia desta lesão mos-trou uma citologia compatível com adenocarcinoma do pulmão, motivo porque inicia novo ciclo de quimioterapia com vinorelbina e gencitabina. Aos quatro ciclos e por não se evidenciar nenhuma resposta ao tratamento, foi realizada radioterapia da lesão esquerda. Durante este período (28 meses) mantém-se assintomática, mantendo a sua actividade diária habitual.De acordo com o momento do diagnóstico as neo-plasias do pulmão podem ser consideradas síncronas ou metácronas. Estas últimas são mais frequentes, re-presentando cerca de 50-70% dos casos, sendo o pa-drão histológico mais frequente o adenocarcinoma.No caso apresentado, a situação parecia ser uma doença disseminada, o que afastou a hipótese de tumores síncronos. Apesar de a doença se apresentar num estádio avançado aquando do diagnóstico e do mau prognósti-co associado, a evolução dos dois tipos de tumor não pareceu comprometer a actividade diária da doente.Rev Port Pneumol 2007; XIII (2): 287-291 Abstract: The authors describe the case of a 50 year old woman, smoker, healthy until September 2003 when she presented persistent dry cough, fatigue and weight loss. Chest x-ray showed two lung masses, one in the superior right lobe and the other in the lingula lobe of the left lung.The patient underwent TFNA (transthoracic fine needle aspiration) and the cytological result was compatible with small cell lung cancer. Staging procedures identified hepatic lesions, probably secondary. Presence of hepatic metastasis and contralateral lung lesions defined the stage of the disease as disseminate. Chemotherapy with carboplatin and etoposide was started. Six months later the right lesion had decreased but the left lesion had increased. TFNA of this lesion revealed adenocarci-noma. A new treatment was started with vinorel-bine and gemcitabine. After four cycles of chemotherapy without any response patient underwent radio-therapy of the left lesion.After 28 months of follow up the patient was asymptomatic and able to manage her normal daily routine. Multiple lung cancers can be considered as synchronous or metachronous, depending on the time of diagnosis. Metachronous lesions are the most frequent (50-70% of all cases) and adenocarcinoma the more frequent histological pattern.In this case the disease was at a disseminate stage, which did not suggest a synchronous lung tumour. While the disease was at an advanced stage with poor prognosis at diagnosis, the evolution of the two different lung tumours did not seem to compromise patientâs daily routine.Rev Port Pneumol 2007; XIII (2): 287-291 Palavras-chave: Tumor primitivo do pulmão, tumores síncronos do pulmão, tumores metácronos do pulmão, Key-words: Primitive lung tumor, synchronous lung tumor, metachronous lung tumou

Bilateral lung masses: The same aetiology? Massas pulmonares bilaterais: Mesma etiologia?

The authors describe the case of a 50 year old woman, smoker, healthy until September 2003 when she presented persistent dry cough, fatigue and weight loss. Chest x-ray showed two lung masses, one in the superior right lobe and the other in the lingula lobe of the left lung. The patient underwent TFNA (transthoracic fine needle aspiration) and the cytological result was compatible with small cell lung cancer. Staging procedures identified hepatic lesions, probably secondary. Presence of hepatic metastasis and contralateral lung lesions defined the stage of the disease as disseminate. Chemotherapy with carboplatin and etoposide was started. Six months later the right lesion had decreased but the left lesion had increased. TFNA of this lesion revealed adenocarcinoma. A new treatment was started with vinorelbine and gemcitabine. After four cycles of chemotherapy without any response patient underwent radiotherapy of the left lesion. After 28 months of follow up the patient was asymptomatic and able to manage her normal daily routine. Multiple lung cancers can be considered as synchronous or metachronous, depending on the time of diagnosis. Metachronous lesions are the most frequent (50-70% of all cases) and adeno- carcinoma the more frequent histological pattern. In this case the disease was at a disseminate stage, which did not suggest a synchronous lung tumour. While the disease was at an advanced stage with poor prognosis at diagnosis, the evolution of the two different lung tumours did not seem to compromise patient’s daily routine.Os autores descrevem o caso de uma mulher de 50 anos, fumadora. Assintomática até Setembro de 2003, altura em que refere o aparecimento de tosse seca, cansaço e perda de peso. Na radiografia do tórax eram evidentes duas massas, uma no lobo superior direito e outra no lobo lingular. A doente foi submetida a biópsia aspirativa transtorácica e a citologia obtida foi compatível com carcinoma de pulmão do tipo pequenas células. No estadiamento da doença foram identificadas lesões hepáticas secundárias, motivo porque a doença foi considerada como disseminada, dada a existência de lesões hepáticas e pulmonares contra-laterais. Foi, nesta fase, iniciada quimioterapia com carboplatinum e etoposídeo. Seis meses mais tarde, a lesão direita inha diminuído, mas a lesão esquerda apresentava aumento das suas dimensões. A biópsia desta lesão mostrou uma citologia compatível com adenocarcinoma do pulmão, motivo porque inicia novo ciclo de quimioterapia com vinorelbina e gencitabina. Aos quatro ciclos e por não se evidenciar nenhuma resposta ao tratamento, foi realizada radioterapia da lesão esquerda. Durante este período (28 meses) mantém-se assintomática, mantendo a sua actividade diária habitual. De acordo com o momento do diagnóstico as neoplasias do pulmão podem ser consideradas síncronas ou metácronas. Estas últimas são mais frequentes, representando cerca de 50-70% dos casos, sendo o padrão histológico mais frequente o adenocarcinoma. No caso apresentado, a situação parecia ser uma doença disseminada, o que afastou a hipótese de tumores síncronos. Apesar de a doença se apresentar num estádio avançado aquando do diagnóstico e do mau prognóstico associado, a evolução dos dois tipos de tumor não pareceu comprometer a actividade diária da doente

Type I and II Interferons in the Anti-Tumor Immune Response

The interferons (IFNs) are essential components of the immune response against infections and malignancies. IFNs are potent promoters of the anti-tumor response, but there is also evidence that feedback mechanisms regulated by IFNs negatively control immune responses to avoid hyper-activation and limit inflammation. This balance of responses plays an important role in cancer surveillance, immunoediting and response to anticancer therapeutic approaches. Here we review the roles of both type I and type II IFNs on the control of the immune response against malignancies in the context of effects on both malignant cells and cells of the immune system in the tumor microenvironment