Silent Burdens in Disease: Fatigue and Depression in SLE

At a time when health is being recognized as more than just avoiding death, age and comorbidity are becoming increasingly important aspects of chronic disease. Systemic Lupus Erythematous (SLE) is probably one of the best paradigms of modern chronic disease, sitting at the crossroads of numerous somatic health problems, immune activation, depression, pain, and fatigue. One hundred forty-eight female participants were enrolled in the present study: 50 diagnosed with SLE, 45 with major depressive disorder (MDD), and 53 age-matched controls. Statistically significant lower scores in quality-of-life dimensions related to physical impairment were found in SLE. Patients with MDD presented significant levels of pain, reduced physical summary component (PSC), and general health scores different from healthy controls. Fatigue was reported in 90% of women with SLE and 77.8% of the MDD patients in contrast with 39.6% in the control group. Significant correlations were seen among fatigue severity, age, and educational level in SLE. From our own previous work and more recent work on the association of immune activation and depression, unexplained fatigue in SLE may signify an early sign of immune activation flare-up. The search for cytokine markers should perhaps be extended to fatigue in SLE

Product design for the health sector: usability issues in embedding tracing technologies in surgical instruments

Surgical instruments are a major asset and a significant share of the total capital spending of a hospital. It is therefore important to track the product inside the health provider’s facilities and when it temporarily leaves them. One of the technologies available to face this problem is RFID. Nevertheless, there are many challenges in incorporating an RFID tag in surgical instruments. Aside from technical issues, it is vital to ensure that the tag placement does not hamper the performance of the health professional using the instrument. Therefore, the aim of this work is to develop a polymer-based product that features an embedded RFID, and which can be physically coupled to surgical instruments, while simultaneously ensuring the user requirements listed. For this purpose, usability test have been conducted with surgeons using different physical mock-ups, and the results have been benchmarked as input for concept selection among different solutions. In this paper we describe the methodological process employed, from initial design through physical mock-ups tests, in a context of rapid development. The same methodology can be replicated for the development of other products for the healthcare sector, where technical requirements and specifications are very strict and where adoption of new technology is highly dependent on the opinion of healthcare professionals

Influence of Biological Therapeutics, Cytokines, and Disease Activity on Depression in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Purpose: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an often debilitating autoinflammatory disease. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis are often troubled by co-occurring depression or other psychological manifestations. RA patients have a variety of treatment options available, including biologicals that inhibit cytokines or immune cells. If these cytokines influence the psychological symptoms, then the use of cytokine inhibitors should modulate these symptoms.Methods: A cohort of 209 individuals was recruited. This group included 82 RA patients, 22 healthy subjects, 32 depressed control subjects, and 73 subjects with systemic lupus erythematosus. Of the RA patients, 51% were on a biological therapeutic. ELISA was used to measure cytokine levels. A variety of psychological assessments were used to evaluate depression, anxiety, sleep, fatigue, and relationship status. Clinical values were obtained from medical records.Results: IL-10 concentration was associated with depressive symptoms in the RA patients, healthy controls, and the lupus patients. In the patients with primary depression, depressive symptoms were associated with IL-6 and TNF-alpha. In RA patients, Tocilizumab use was associated with decreased depressive symptoms. 14 RA patients who were not using biologicals began using them by a one-month follow-up. In these patients, there was no significant change to any value except for fatigue.Conclusions: A variety of both biological and social factors influences depressive symptoms in RA. IL-10 and IL-6 are likely to be involved, since IL-10 concentration was associated with depression and Tocilizumab decreased depressive symptoms in the RA patients. The roles of these cytokines are different in RA and lupus, as high IL-10 in RA is associated with increased depressive symptoms, but high IL-10 in the lupus patients is associated with decreased depression. IL-6 was also associated with depressive symptoms in the patients with primary depression. These results strongly indicate that disease activity, including cytokine levels, has a strong impact on depressive symptoms.This study was supported by Portugal Fulbright Commission (Dr. Brian D. Poole)

Depression and anxiety in systemic lupus erythematosus: The crosstalk between immunological, clinical, and psychosocial factors

Depression and anxiety cause severe loss of quality of life for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. The causes and factors that contribute to these psychological manifestations in lupus are difficult to disentangle. This study compared clinical, psychological, and demographic factors between lupus patients, depressed patients, and rheumatoid arthritis patients to discover lupus-specific contributors to depression. Lupus-specific manifestations of depression were also investigated. Physiological, clinical, and psychosocial data were collected from 77 patients. ELISA was used to measure cytokine levels. Univariate and Multivariate analyses were used to compare the patient populations and identify correlations between key physical and psychological indicators. The prevalence of depression in the SLE cohort was 6 times greater than the healthy control subjects. Pain, IL-6, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality index values were all significantly higher in SLE patients compared with the healthy control group (P < .001, P = .038, and P = .005, respectively). Anxiety levels were significantly higher in SLE patients compared to healthy and RA control patients (P = .020 and .011, respectively). Serum IL-10 concentrations, relationship assessment scale, and fatigue severity scale values were found to be correlated with depression among the SLE patients (P = .036, P = .007, and P = .001, respectively). Relationship assessment and fatigue severity scale scores were found to be the best indicators of depression for the SLE patients (P = .042 and .028, respectively). Fatigue Severity, relationship satisfaction, and IL-10 concentrations are indicators of depression in lupus patients. Despite also suffering from the pain and disability that accompanies chronic autoimmune disease, the rheumatoid arthritis patients had less anxiety and better relationship scores.The authors thank the Portugal Fulbright Commission for funding Dr. Pool

The ITRAX core scanner, a useful tool to distinguish anthropic vs. climatic influences in lagoon of Aveiro (N Portugal)

The main goal of this work is to distinguish anthropic and climatic influences in sediments from the lagoon of Aveiro (Portugal). This study is based on a core (240-cm long) collected in Murtosa Channel. Optical and X-radiographic images and high-resolution elemental profiles were acquired with ITRAX micro-X-ray fluorescence (XRF) core scanner. Samples collected at each ≈3 cm along the core were analysed for grain size and total organic carbon. Furthermore, the fine fraction of selected layers was subjected to geochemical analysis by ICP-MS, after total acid digestion of the sediments, and mineralogical analysis, by XRD techniques. A radiocarbon age was determined by AMS, using molluscs shells collected at a depth of 90 cm. Sediments along the core are composed by fine and medium sand, with several mud layers. Sediments composing the first 100-cm may have been deposited after 1950, as it is indicated by the radiocarbon data, the increasing trend of Zn/Al, Pb/Al and Cu/Al and total concentrations of Zn, Pb, Cu, V, Cr, As and Ni in this interval that therefore might be linked with industrial activities of Chemical Complex of Estarreja. The progressive increase of Si/Al, Cl/Al, Rb/Al, K/Al and Br/Al and reduced Al concentrations, from the base to the top of this core, are interpreted as being related to higher marine influence and greater differences in tidal currents with longer exposition to air of the sediments with the consequent formation of brines favouring minerals precipitation in the area (e.g. anhydrite). These results seem to be a consequence of several works developed over time like: i) dredging to improve the navigation access to the harbour, located in the external sector of the lagoon; ii) the control of the course of some rivers influencing the supply of sediments. The tendency of sea level rise may have also emphasized the gradual increase of marine influence in this area. Fine-grained sections, related to an increase in Al, phyllosilicates, organic matter, pyrite and siderite contents would be attributed to phases of greater supply of fine-sediments during heavy rainfall events by the nearby Antuã river and other streams during negative phases of North Atlantic Oscillation. Higher deposition of organic matter enhanced diagenetic changes with pyrite and siderite formation. In the bottom of the core another record of pollution was unveiled to mining activities at the beginning of 20th century.FCT de Portugal - C/CTE/UI4035/2011CNPq - 401803/2010-

Portuguese Recommendations for the management of Raynaud’s phenomenon and digital ulcers in systemic sclerosis and other connective tissue diseases

Objective: To develop evidence-based recommendations for the non-pharmacological and pharmacological management of Raynaud’s phenomenon (RP) and digital ulcers (DUs) in patients with systemic sclerosis and other im-mune-mediated connective tissue diseases (CTDs). Methods: A task force comprising 21 rheumatologists, 2 surgeons (vascular and plastic), 2 nurses, and 1 patient representative was established. Following a systematic literature review performed to inform the recommendations, statements were formulated and discussed during two meetings (one online and one in-person). Levels of evidence, grades of recommendation (GoR), and level of agreement (LoA) were determined. Results: Five overarching principles and 13 recommendations were developed. GoR ranged from A to D. The mean ± standard difference (SD) LoA with the overarching principles and recommendations ranged from 7.8±2.1 to 9.8±0.4. Briefly, the management of RP and DUs in patients with CTDs should be coordinated by a multidisci-plinary team and based on shared decisions with patients. Nifedipine should be used as first-line therapy for RP and/ or DUs. Sildenafil, tadalafil, and/or iloprost IV are second-line options for severe and/or refractory patients with RP and/or DUs. Sildenafil, tadalafil and/or Iloprost IV, should be prescribed for healing and prevention (also including bosentan) of DUs. In patients with RP and/or DUs, non-pharmacological interventions might be considered as add-ons, but there is limited quality and quantity of scientific evidence supporting their use. Conclusions: These recommendations will inform rheumatologists, specialist nurses, other healthcare profession-als, and patients about a comprehensive and personalized management of RP and DUs. A research agenda was developed to address unmet needs, particularly for non-pharmacologic interventions.publishersversionpublishe

Atmospheric dust deposition and levels of trace elements in an industrial city in the Portuguese coastline

O presente estudo pretendeu (i) identificar padrões geoquímicos espaciais e temporais na deposição atmosférica, e (ii) avaliar potenciais contribuições de fontes locais e alóctones para a composição química das poeiras atmosféricas no concelho de Estarreja. Dois coletores foram colocados em áreas exteriores de duas escolas localizadas poucos quilómetros a sul da zona industrial. A recolha das amostras foi realizada mensalmente, de maio a agosto de 2018. As frações solúvel e insolúvel da deposição atmosférica foram analisadas por ICP-MS para determinar as concentrações quase-totais dos elementos químicos. Os resultados mostram a ocorrência de dois eventos distintos de maior fluxo de deposição atmosférica: (i) um em maio, caracterizado pela deposição de elementos traço em formas solúveis, detetado em ambas as escolas e (ii) um segundo em agosto, caracterizado pela deposição de elementos maiores em formas insolúveis, detetado apenas na escola mais distante do complexo industrial. No geral, os resultados indicam uma deposição antrópica de aerossóis em maio e uma deposição de partículas litogénicas em agosto.Due to their high toxicity and reactivity in atmospheric particles, metl(loid)s are a category of pollutants of great concern in air pollution. The present study aimed (i) to identify spatial and temporal geochemical patterns in atmospheric deposition, and (ii) to evaluate potential contributions from local and regional sources to the chemical composition of atmospheric dust, in the industrial city of Estarreja. Two collectors were placed in exterior areas of two schools located few kilometres south from the industrial zone, one within an urban setting and another in a rural environment. Samples were collected monthly from May and August 2018. The soluble and insoluble fractions of atmospheric were analysed by ICP-MS to determine near-total concentrations of the chemical elements. The results indicate two distinct events of higher atmospheric deposition flux. The first event, detected in both schools, occurred in May and is characterized by the deposition of trace elements in soluble forms. The second occurred in August and is characterized by the deposition of major elements in insoluble forms. This later episode was detected only at the school furthest from the industrial complex. Overall, the results indicate an anthropogenic aerosol deposition in May and a lithogenic particle deposition in August.Este trabalho é cofinanciado pela União Europeia através do Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional, baseado no COMPETE 2020 (Programa Operacional de Competitividade e Internacionalização), no projeto ICT (UIDB/04683/2020), no projeto GeoBioTec (UIDB/04035/2020) e nos fundos nacionais fornecidos pela Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia. Os autores agradecem à Direção, aos docentes e aos funcionários do Agrupamento de Escolas de Estarreja a preciosa colaboração durante o período de recolha das amostra

Seasonal Variability of Atmospheric Dust Over Cape Verde Islands.

International Congresso on Environmental Health (ICEH 2012). Lisboa, 29 Maio – 1 Junho