Diagnostic biomarkers identification of arthritis in Type 2 diabetic patients, using Artificial Intelligence classification techniques applied in Real World Data database based in GEO microarrays

Ddatabases and repositories, including microarray data, are important sources of information that can be exploited to understand biological processes that in some cases could be initially identified as unrelated, such are diabetes and arthritis. The use of Machine Learning approaches is essential to extract patterns that could help to identify biological reasons to link phenotypes unrelated. During this project, a set of diabetes samples obtained from the GEO database were analysed to compare patients with and without arthritis. The analysis was developed to identify common/uncommon patterns to help us determine biological factors associated to suffer arthritis by diabetic patients. The classifiers obtained in a 10-fold cross-validation optimized for balanced accuracy > 80% were IL-18, TNFRSF1A, SPP1, CXCL8 and IL-10; which the novel potential of the SPP1 protein as a new biomarker was highlighted due to its lack of previous reports in the scientific literature

Postural patterns in the first year of life: contributions of maternal physical activity in the pregnancy period

BACKGROUND: The study objective was intended to verify whether the practice of maternal physical activity during the pregnancy period could be assumed as a contribution to the acquisition of postural patterns in the child during its first year of life. METHODS: A transversal and descriptive study was carried where we recorded the developments observed in a sample of 80 Portuguese children, according to the habits and type of physical activity of the mothers. Statistical descriptive and inferential test were performed. RESULTS: The results were clearly positive in terms of temporal gains of neck tonic control, and also in the acquisition of an erect position. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the average values are not statistical significant we have observed indicators that the maternal physical activity during pregnancy apparently is a factor that can favor the child’s motor development during their first year of life, particularly in the acquisition of postural patterns.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Educação musical na intervenção precoce

Este estudo procurou ser um contributo para a prática da Intervenção Precoce através da intervenção musical com crianças com Necessidades Educativas Especiais em contexto de Jardim-de-Infância. Tendo como pressuposto os benefícios da inclusão e das parcerias entre pais e profissionais, pretendeu-se realizar um trabalho de investigação que permitisse, de forma global, observar aspectos motores, cognitivos e afectivos do desenvolvimento da criança com características do Espectro do Autismo (designada por P.A., por razões de anonimato) que fossem susceptíveis de ser influenciados positivamente pela participação em actividades musicais orientadas. Paralelamente aos benefícios observados relativos ao desenvolvimento da criança com características do Espectro de Autismo, verificou-se uma melhoria significativa na Inclusão da criança em estudo no grupo de Expressão Musical. Através deste trabalho, verificou-se que a Expressão Musical é uma área fulcral para a inclusão de crianças com autismo no Jardim-de-Infância. O sujeito do estudo beneficiou, consideravelmente, da participação activa e organizada nas actividades musicais, melhorando as suas prestações em diversos indicadores da SGS II. A música pode ter um papel importante no desenvolvimento de competências e destrezas que, indirectamente, podem ajudar no dia-a-dia e na Inclusão destas crianças no contexto de Jardim de Infância. Espera-se, portanto, a partir deste trabalho, contribuir para a divulgação dos benefícios das actividades musicais enquanto actividades orientadas para o desenvolvimento das crianças com NEE, sobretudo ao nível dos aspectos motores, cognitivos e afectivos

Compensating Wage Differentials for Schooling Risk in Denmark

In this paper we test for risk compensation in wages using Danish panel data. With the conviction that the type of education is as important as the education length, we use a very detailed description of the type of education reached by the Danish population to calculate different measures of risk. Our long panel data set also allows us to decompose shocks in earnings in a permanent and a transitory component. We test the role of the risks associated to both components in wage compensation. We also experiment with new measures of risk based on intertemporal fluctuations on transitory shocks in earnings. Thus, we get closer to risk measures catching the intrinsic long-run feature of schooling-risks and the required compensation. In concordance to what theory predicts, we find that the labor market compensates for such foreseeable risks. Hence, we state a return-risk trade-off for the human capital investments in Denmark

Concurrent herbivory and metal accumulation: The outcome for plants and herbivores

The effects of metals on plants and herbivores, as well as the interaction among the latter, are well documented. However, the effects of simultaneous herbivory and metal accumulation remain poorly studied. Here, we shed light on this topic by infesting cadmium-accumulating tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum), either exposed to cadmium or not, with herbivorous spider mites, Tetranychus urticae or T. evansi during 14 days. Whereas on plants without cadmium T. evansi had higher growth rate than T. urticae, on plants with cadmium both mite species had similar growth rates, which were lower than on plants without metal. Plants were affected by both cadmium toxicity and by herbivory, as shown by leaf reflectance, but not on the same wavelengths. Moreover, changes in leaf reflectance on the wavelength affected by herbivores were similar on plants with and without cadmium, and vice versa. Long-term effects of cadmium and herbivory did not affect H2O2 concentrations in the plant. Finally, plants infested with spider mites did not accumulate more cadmium, suggesting that metal accumulation is not induced by herbivory. We thus conclude that cadmium accumulation affects two congeneric herbivore species differently and that the effects of herbivory and cadmium toxicity on plants may be disentangled, via leaf reflectance, even during simultaneous exposure.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A práxia global e fina numa criança com espetro de autismo

As crianças com Perturbação do Espetro do Autismo (PEA) podem aprender a utilizar o seu corpo do mesmo modo que uma criança sem qualquer problema, apenas têm mais dificuldades em processar a informação e necessitam que os professores repitam comportamentos e estruturas. A dificuldade de socialização pode provocar um atraso no desenvolvimento psicomotor. Por sua vez, as atividades físicas são promotoras de uma boa saúde e bem-estar da criança com PEA e a sua motricidade pode vir a desenvolver-se de modo a conseguir uma envolvência com o corpo (consigo próprio) e com o espaço (meio envolvente). Objetivo: o presente trabalho centra-se na observação dos efeitos da atividade física adaptada nos fatores psicomotores Práxia Global e Práxia Fina de uma criança com espectro do autismo, a frequentar o jardim de Infância. Métodos: aplicou-se a bateria psicomotora (BPM) de Vítor da Fonseca, traçou-se o perfil psicomotor da criança e seguidamente extraíram-se os resultados relativos a estes dois fatores, por serem os mais fracos, e, concebeu-se e aplicou-se um plano de atividades físicas adaptadas. No final do programa voltou-se a aplicar a bateria psicomotora. Resultados: da análise á primeira aplicação da BPM os fatores com pior perfil foram os das Práxias, tanto Global (1,3 - Fraco) como Fina (1 - Fraco), em que os resultados revelam uma realização imperfeita, incompleta e descoordenada em quase todos os subfactores. O plano de atividades físicas adaptadas foi elaborado tendo em vista sobretudo estes fatores (não descurando os outros) com vista a melhorar o desempenho da criança fazendo-a evoluir nas suas competências psicomotoras ao nível das Práxias. O plano foi aplicado durante 7 meses, com 3 sessões por semana de 40 minutos. Por fim, voltou-se a aplicar a BPM, cujos resultados apresentam melhorias evidentes nos diferentes subfactores da Práxia Global obtendo assim um valor considerado bom, com realização controlada e adequada (3,2 - bom). Apesar da Práxia Fina continuar a apresentar melhorias pouco evidentes (1,4 - Fraco), um dos subfactores –Tamborilar – evoluiu bastante, mas mesmo assim é o fator psicomotor com mais dificuldades de realização para a criança. Conclusão: constatamos que o plano de atividades físicas adaptadas produziu efeito positivo no perfil das Práxias desta criança, uma vez que o seu perfil evoluiu mostrando em alguns subfactores um excelente índice de disponibilidade motora.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients according to World Health Organization, Third Report National Cholesterol Education Program, and International Diabetes Federation definitions

Angel Rodríguez1, Helena Delgado-Cohen1, Jesús Reviriego1, Manuel Serrano-Ríos21Clinical Research Department, Eli Lilly and Company, Madrid, Spain; 2Department of Internal Medicine II, Hospital Clinico San Carlos, Madrid, SpainBackground: The availability of several definitions of the metabolic syndrome has created potential confusion concerning its prognostic utility. At present, little data exist about the risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome in diabetic patients.Aim: To identify risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus according to three diagnostic criteria: World Health Organization (WHO), Third Report of the National Cholesterol Education Program Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults – Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP-ATP III), and International Diabetes Federation (IDF).Subjects and methods: A logistic regression model was used to identify demographic, clinical, and lifestyle variables related with metabolic syndrome (N = 1259).Results: Hypertension, dyslipidemia, and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) ≥7% were associated with increased risk of WHO-defined metabolic syndrome (odds ratio [OR], 2.33; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.60–3.40; OR, 1.79 95% CI: 1.25–2.55; and OR, 1.58; 95% CI: 1.12–2.22, respectively). The risk of presenting metabolic syndrome according to NCEP-ATP III criteria was increased in female patients (OR, 2.02; 95% CI: 1.37–2.97), elevated fasting glucose levels (OR, 5.99; 95% CI: 3.56–10.07), dyslipidemia (OR, 2.28; 95% CI: 1.57–3.32), hypertension (OR, 2.36; 95% CI: 1.59–3.53), and endocrine disorders (OR, 1.64; 95% CI: 1.06–2.57). For the IDF criteria, female patients and patients with left ventricular hypertrophy or insulin treatment were at higher risk of metabolic syndrome (OR, 4.00; 95% CI: 2.35–6.80; OR, 2.72 95% CI: 1.22–6.04; and OR, 1.96 95% CI: 1.24–3.11, respectively).Conclusions: The risk factors for metabolic syndrome in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients are highly dependent on the criteria used to define the syndrome, supporting the need for a single clinically useful and epidemiologically useful definition.Keywords: metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes mellitus, epidemiologic studies, risk factor

Internal and external costs of transport in Portugal

Urban dispersion (sprawl) is a reality, however unplanned it may be. Its supporters advocate contact with nature, space and intimacy; however, alleged disadvantages include land consumption, public infrastructure and mobility costs, and housing prices. The Research Project “Costs and Benefits of Urban Dispersion on a local scale” seeks to contribute to the debate with an objective approach based on the quantification of costs, externalities and benefits of different urban settlement patterns, thus “bringing urban form back to planning”. This paper presents one of the Project’s tasks, the one concerning mobility costs, both internal and external. Quantified internal costs include investment, inspection, insurance, energy and maintenance; external ones include accident and environmental costs, calculated for road and rail transport. Different methods are combined depending on available data sources in order to achieve figures for each of the cost components per vehicle-km, ton-km and passenger-km for 2005, at 2009 prices. Results show that internal costs are larger than external ones for the majority of motorized transport, except two-wheelers, and for rail. External costs are larger than internal ones for soft modes, mainly due to high accident costs. Cost components, both internal and external, related to fuel consumption are the most relevant in heavy modes’ cost structures. Investment costs are the most important category for the majority of the remaining modes. Results also stress that current occupancy rates, load factors and vehicle mileages hinder the economic efficiency of collective and two-wheeled modes of transportation and may contribute to the pervasiveness of cars in Portugal

Custos internos e externos de Mobilidade em Portugal

Resumo indisponível

O perfil de envolvimento e as necessidades dos irmãos das crianças com perturbação do espectro do autismo : estudo descritivo realizado nos distritos do Porto, Viseu e Lisboa

O presente trabalho constitui a análise dos “Perfis de Envolvimento e Necessidades dos Irmãos” das crianças com Autismo numa amostra de conveniência de 30 famílias, distribuídas pelos distritos do Porto, Viseu e Lisboa, acompanhadas pelos serviços de Intervenção Precoce. O Sibling Needs and Involvement Profile (SNIP) é um instrumento dividido em cinco subescalas que identificam: a “Consciencialização”, os “Sentimentos”; a “Diversão”; o “Auxilio” e “Advocacia” dos irmãos relativamente à criança com Autismo. Os resultados revelaram-se maioritariamente positivos em todas as subescalas à excepção da subescala “Sentimentos”. O estudo das qualidades psicométricas do SNIP na versão portuguesa, revelou boa consistência interna na fiabilidade (Alfa de Cronbach > a 0,7) e forte correlação entre as variáveis (KMO > 0,6)