"Capital Stock and Unemployment: Searching for the Missing Link"

The purpose of this paper is to examine the proposition that capital stock relative to aggregate output has been an important variable in the determination of the U.S. NAIRU (Non-Accelerating Inflation Rate of Unemployment) over the last four decades. We present new empirical evidence, obtained from the application of the cointegrated VAR methodology to U.S. time-series data, that lends strong support to the claim that the aggregate capital-output ratio, the real price of imports, and aggregate capacity utilization were determinants of the NAIRU in the period considered. The same evidence also shows that technical progress and changes in long-term unemployment did not affect the NAIRU. We believe this evidence suggests that, insofar as the aggregate capital-output ratio is affected by changes in real interest rates, the stance of monetary policy is one determinant of the NAIRU.

Cannabis e doença mental

Introdução: A Cannabis é a droga ilícita mais usada em todo o mundo. Desde o princípio dos anos 90 a idade de início de consumo tem vindo a decrescer e a prevalência ao longo da vida aumentou na maioria dos países desenvolvidos. Sabe-se que a prevalência do seu consumo é elevada entre os doentes psiquiátricos, o que está associado a um pior prognóstico, com maior resistência à medicação, maior intensidade de sintomas, maiores taxas de recorrência e maior número de hospitalizações. Tem sido estudada a relação entre o abuso de Cannabis e doenças específicas, como as doenças psicóticas, em particular a esquizofrenia, os transtornos do humor, como a doença bipolar e a depressão, a ansiedade, a agressividade, a síndrome amotivacional e também a relação com o abuso de outras substâncias. Objectivos: O principal objectivo deste estudo é caracterizar, a nível de patologia mental, um subgrupo de consumidores de Cannabis que tiveram necessidade de internamento. Metodologia: Foram incluídos no estudo todos os doentes internados no Departamento de Psiquiatria e Saúde Mental da ULS da Guarda entre Janeiro de 2007 e Dezembro de 2012 com o diagnóstico de abuso ou dependência de Cannabis. Resultados: A média de idade de início de consumo foi de 16,1 anos. O tempo decorrido entre o início do consumo e o primeiro episódio de internamento foi em média de 8,9 anos. Encontrou-se uma relação fraca entre a idade de início do consumo e o tempo decorrido até ao primeiro episódio de internamento (r=0,249; p=0,411). Observou-se que os sintomas mais prevalentes foram ideação delirante, humor deprimido, insónia e actividade alucinatória. O diagnóstico mais frequente foi o de esquizofrenia paranóide (30,6%) seguindo-se a psicose induzida por Cannabis (25%) e a depressão (16,7%). Em 44,4% dos indivíduos foi-lhes diagnosticado ao longo da vida o abuso/dependência de outras substâncias, sendo a mais prevalente os opiáceos. Conclusões: Os indivíduos consumidores são na maioria jovens que se iniciaram no abuso de substâncias durante a adolescência, sendo que em muitos casos o início precoce do consumo condiciona patologia mental mais severa. As doenças psicóticas são as mais relacionadas com o consumo de Cannabis e existe uma associação forte com o consumo de outras substâncias.Introduction: Cannabis is the most used illicit drug worldwide. Since the early 90’s the age of onset of Cannabis consumption has been decreasing and the lifetime prevalence increased in the majority of the developed countries. It is known that the prevalence of its consumption is greater among people with psychiatric disorders, which is associated to poor outcomes, with higher resistance to medication, more severe symptoms, higher relapse rates and higher number of hospitalizations. The relationship between Cannabis abuse and specific disorders like psychosis, in particular schizophrenia, affective disorders like bipolar disorder and depression, anxiety, aggressive behaviors, amotivational syndrome and also the relation with the abuse of other substances. Objectives: The principal aim of this study is to characterize, in a mental health perspective, a subgroup of Cannabis consumer in-patients. Methods: It were admitted to the study all the in-patients of Guarda’s ULS Psychiatry and Mental Health Department between January 2007 and December 2012 with Cannabis abuse or/and dependence diagnosis. Results: The mean age of Cannabis first use was 16,1 years. The time interval between Cannabis initiation and the first hospitalization episode was in average 8,9 years. A relationship between the age at first Cannabis use and the time lapse until the first hospitalization was found (r=0,249, p=0,411). The most prevalent symptoms were delusions, depressive humor, insomnia and hallucinations. The most frequent diagnosis was paranoid schizophrenia (30,6%) followed by Cannabis-induced psychosis (25%) and depression (16,7%). 44,4% of the patients met other substances abuse/dependence criteria, mostly opiates. Conclusions: Cannabis consumers are mostly young people who start consuming it during adolescence, and in the majority of the cases a younger age of onset consuming Cannabis predicts greater severity of mental illness. Psychotic disorders have the strongest association with Cannabis and there is a relationship between the consumption and other substance abuse disorders

A critical review

Publisher Copyright: Copyright © 2022 Teixeira, Ferreira, Pereira-da-Silva and Ferreira.Atherosclerotic disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Atherosclerosis may be present in different arterial territories and as a single- or multi-territorial disease. The different phenotypes of atherosclerosis are attributable only in part to acquired cardiovascular risk factors and genetic Mendelian inheritance. miRNAs, which regulate the gene expression at the post-transcriptional level, may also contribute to such heterogeneity. Numerous miRNAs participate in the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis by modulating endothelial function, smooth vascular cell function, vascular inflammation, and cholesterol homeostasis in the vessel, among other biological processes. Moreover, miRNAs are present in peripheral blood with high stability and have the potential to be used as non-invasive biomarkers for the diagnosis of atherosclerosis. However, the circulating miRNA profile may vary according to the involved arterial territory, considering that atherosclerosis expression, including the associated molecular phenotype, varies according to the affected arterial territory. In this review, we discuss the specific circulating miRNA profiles associated with atherosclerosis of different arterial territories, the common circulating miRNA profile of stable atherosclerosis irrespective of the involved arterial territory, and the circulating miRNA signature of multi-territorial atherosclerosis. miRNAs may consist of a simple non-invasive method for discriminating atherosclerosis of different arterial sites. The limitations of miRNA profiling for such clinical application are also discussed.publishersversionpublishe

Sensibilidad y Resistencia a Antibióticos de Cepas Probióticas Empleadas en Productos Comerciales

Una característica deseada de los probióticos es su sensibilidad a los antibióticos para descartar la transmisión de resistencia en el ecosistema digestivo. Es importante conocer su susceptibilidad ya que se ingieren frecuentemente con la finalidad de reforzar la microflora intestinal. El objetivo de este trabajo fue analizar la susceptibilidad de probióticos aislados de productos comerciales a los principales antibióticos de uso clínico. La prueba de sensibilidad se realizó por el método de difusión en disco sobre agar MRS, empleando discos de antibióticos mixtos comerciales. Las bacterias Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei y Bifidobacterium bifidum fueron sensibles a: penicilina, ampicilina, ceftriaxona y cefalotina (Betalactámicos), eritromicina (Macrólidos) y cloranfenicol (Anfenicoles). Resistentes a dicloxacilina (Betalactámicos), oxacilina (Fluoroquinolona), netilmicina, gentamicina y amikacina (Aminoglucósidos) y trimetoprimsulfametoxazol (Sulfonamidas). Los resultados muestran la importancia de valorar la susceptibilidad (sensibilidad y resistencia) de los probióticos a los antibióticos ya que, se consumen de forma intencionada con el propósito de mantener el equilibrio de la flora intestinal. A characteristic of probiotics istheir sensitivity to antibioticsto discard the transmission of resistance in the digestive ecosystem. It is important to know your susceptibility, which is often ingested for the purpose of strengthening intestinal microflora. The purpose of this work was to analyze the susceptibility of probiotics isolated from commercial products to the main antibiotics for clinical use. The sensitivity test was carried out by means of a disk diffusion method on MRS agar, using disks of mixed commercial antibiotics. The bacteria’s Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei and Bifidobacterium bifidum were sensitive to: penicillin, ampicillin, ceftriaxone and cephalotin (Beta-lactam), erythromycin (Macrolides) and chloramphenicol (Amphenicoles). Resistant to dicloxacillin (Beta-lactam), enoxacillin (Fluoroquinolone), netilmicin, gentamicin and amikacin (Aminoglycosides) and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (Sulfonamides). The results show the importance of assessing the susceptibility (sensitivity and resistance) of probiotics to antibiotics since they are consumed intentionally in order to maintain the balance of the intestinal flora

Que formação de professores para a inclusão em São Tomé e Príncipe?

Dissertação apresentada à escola superior de educação de lisboa para obtenção do grau de mestre em ciências da educação - especialidade educação especialEste estudo teve como objectivos recolher e tratar informação que permita identificar as linhas orientadoras para a construção e implementação de um programa de uma disciplina nos cursos de formação inicial, adequado ao contexto situacional e temporal de São Tomé e Príncipe, que possa sensibilizar os formandos para a prática de inclusão de crianças com necessidades educativas especiais no sistema do ensino regular desse país. Para a concretização destes mesmos objectivos, procedemos à revisão da literatura, entrevistámos docentes de diferentes níveis de ensino de São Tomé e Príncipe para compreender as necessidades de formação, colhemos dados sobre esta modalidade de formação junto de especialistas de uma instituição de formação de professores portuguesa e analisámos programas de disciplinas análogas em cursos de formação inicial de docentes de quatro instituições de formação de dois países, duas portuguesas, a escola Superior de Educação de Lisboa, (ESELx) e Universidade de Évora, e duas brasileiras, Universidade Federal Feira de Santana, e Universidade Federal Espírito Santo. Os resultados destas análises permitiram-nos constatar a necessidade de formação, na medida em que subsistem dificuldades em relação à inclusão de crianças/jovens com necessidades educativas especiais, no que se refere à filosofia da inclusão, à gestão do espaço, do tempo e dos conteúdos curriculares por parte dos professores, ao terem na sua sala de aula alunos com necessidades especiais e ao conhecimento de algumas problemáticas mais comuns; igualmente percebemos que é importante abordar na formação o trabalho com famílias e com a comunidade e particularizar conteúdos que desenvolvam atitudes de aceitação da diferença. Uma atenção especial deve ser dada às questões que se prendem com a organização da formação em termos da prática pedagógica, mais concretamente, no que se refere aos contextos em que são realizados os estágios e aos mecanismos de acompanhamento dos formandos. Os resultados obtidos com o estudo permitiram-nos preparar uma proposta de programa da disciplina das NEEs a ser ministrado nos cursos de formação inicial de docentes com o objectivo de sensibilizá-los para uma efectiva inclusão destas crianças no sistema de ensino regular santomense

Clinical characteristics of COPD Phenotypes

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Effect of pomegranate peels and extract in barrier, optical and mechanical properties of polylactic acid-based active packaging

Being more than 50 % of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) constituted by non-edible parts, namely peels (50%) and seeds (10%), pomegranate is an excellent source of by-products. Its peels and seeds present excellent antioxidant and antimicrobial activities and a high content of phenolic compounds, namely ellagitannins. This work aimed to evaluate the mechanical and optical properties of two polylactic acid (PLA)-based active packaging with 3 wt.% pomegranate peels (3PP) or 3 wt.% pomegranate peel extract (3PPE). All the samples were produced on a laboratory scale with techniques and processing conditions used in industry. The production of packaging with flexible films is mainly carried out by tubular film extrusion. With this processing method it is possible to produce samples with molecular orientation and reduced thickness equal to that of the packages currently on the market. The structural and morphological characterization of the films were evaluated by FTIR and SEM, and the color by UV-vis. Water vapor transmission and mechanical properties were also measured. The color was measured by Shimadzu UV2401PC reflectance spectrophotometer. Water vapor transmission, oxygen permeability and mechanical properties were also measured. The FTIR and SEM results indicate the incorporation of the pomegranate peels and peels extract in the PLA matrix, where PLA/3PPE showed better particle homogenization than the PLA/3PP. Regarding the color variations, the PLA/3PPE presented higher variations in terms of L*, a*, and b*. The incorporation of pomegranate derivates has a negative effect on the tensile strength and Young modulus, but a significant increase of the elongation at break for PLA/3PPE. The PLA film's water vapor barrier properties do not suffer any alteration with the incorporation of pomegranate extract.Cássia H. Barbosa thanks the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal, for the PhD. Grant 2021.08154.BD. This work was carried out under the MobFOOD Project (POCI-01-0247-FEDER-024524 and LISBOA-01-0247-FEDER-024524), funded by POCI (Operational Programme “Competitiveness and Internationalization”) and POR Lisboa (Lisbon Regional Operational Programme), through ANI, and by the Programa de Cooperación Interreg-A España–Portugal (POCTEP) 2014–2020 (project 0377_IBERPHENOL_6_E). This research was also funded by PT national funds (FCT/MCTES, Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia and Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior) through the grant UIDB/00211/2020).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

COPD profiles and treatable traits using minimal resources: identification, decision tree and stability over time

Background and objective: Profiles of people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often do not describe treatable traits, lack validation and/or their stability over time is unknown. We aimed to identify COPD profiles and their treatable traits based on simple and meaningful measures; to develop and validate a decision tree and to explore profile stability over time. Methods: An observational, prospective study was conducted. Clinical characteristics, lung function, symptoms, impact of the disease (COPD Assessment Test—CAT), health-related quality of life, physical activity, lower-limb muscle strength and functional status were collected cross-sectionally and a subsample was followed-up monthly over six months. A principal component analysis and a clustering procedure with k-medoids were applied to identify profiles. A decision tree was developed and validated cross-sectionally. Stability was explored over time with the ratio between the number of timepoints that a participant was classified in the same profile and the total number of timepoints (i.e., 6). Results: 352 people with COPD (67.4±9.9 years; 78.1% male; FEV1=56.2±20.6% predicted) participated and 90 (67.6±8.9 years; 85.6% male; FEV1=52.1±19.9% predicted) were followed-up. Four profiles were identified with distinct treatable traits. The decision tree included CAT (<18 or≥18 points); age (<65 or≥65 years) and FEV1 (<48 or≥48% predicted) and had an agreement of 71.7% (Cohen’s Kappa=0.62, p<0.001) with the actual profiles. 48.9% of participants remained in the same profile whilst 51.1% moved between two (47.8%) or three (3.3%) profiles over time. Overall stability was 86.8±15%. Conclusion: Four profiles and treatable traits were identified with simple and meaningful measures possibly available in low-resource settings. A decision tree with three commonly used variables in the routine assessment of people with COPD is now available for quick allocation to the identified profiles in clinical practice. Profiles and treatable traits may change over time in people with COPD hence, regular assessments to deliver goal-targeted personalised treatments are needed.publishe

Cervical Lymphadenopathy in Two Young Women The Same Rare Diagnosis with Different Presentations

Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease (KFD) is a rare, benign and usually self-limiting disorder that more often affects young women, which is characterized by cervical lymphadenopathy and fever. Clinical presentation may be indistinguishable from other diseases, and its inclusion in the differential diagnosis of lymphoproliferative, infective and autoimmune diseases is essential. An association with systemic lupus erythematosus is acknowledged. We present 2 different cases of 2 young women with KFD; the first case highlights the classic diagnostic features of this rare entity, and the second, the findings when KFD occurs in association with systemic lupus erythematosus

Perfis de DPOC e características tratáveis utilizando recursos mínimos: Identificação, árvore de decisão e estabilidade longitudinal

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is highly heterogeneous and complex. Hence, personalising assessments and treatments to this population across different settings and available resources imposes challenges and debate. Research efforts have been made to identify clinical phenotypes or profiles for prognostic and therapeutic purposes. Nevertheless, such profiles often do not describe treatable traits, focus on complex physiological/pulmonary measures which are frequently not available across settings, lack validation and/or their stability over time is unknown. Objective: To identify profiles and their treatable traits based on simple and meaningful measures; to develop and validate a profile decision tree; and to explore profiles’ stability over time in people with COPD. Methods: An observational, prospective study was conducted with people with COPD. Clinical characteristics, lung function, symptoms, impact of the disease (COPD assessment test–CAT), health-related quality of life, physical activity, lower-limb muscle strength and functional status were collected cross-sectionally and a subsample was followed-up monthly over six months. A principal component analysis and a clustering procedure with k-medoids were applied to identify profiles. Pulmonary and extrapulmonary (i.e., physical, symptoms and health status, and behavioural/life-style risk factors) treatable traits were identified in each profile based on the established cut-offs for each measure available in the literature. The decision tree was developed with 70% and validated with 30% of the sample, cross-sectionally. Agreement between the profile predicted by the decision tree and the profile defined by the clustering procedure was determined using Cohen’s Kappa. Stability was explored over time with a stability score defined as the percentage ratio between the number of timepoints that a participant was classified in the same profile (most frequent profile for that participant) and the total number of timepoints (i.e., 6). Results: 352 people with COPD (67.4±9.9 years; 78.1% male; FEV1=56.2±20.6% predicted) participated and 90 (67.6±8.9 years; 85.6% male; FEV1=52.1±19.9% predicted) were followed-up. Four profiles were identified with distinct treatable traits. The decision tree was composed by the CAT, age and FEV1% predicted and had an agreement of 71.7% (Cohen’s Kappa=0.62, p<0.001) with the actual profiles. 48.9% of participants remained in the same profile whilst 51.1% moved between two (47.8%) and three (3.3%) profiles over time. The overall stability of profiles was 86.8±15%. Conclusion: Profiles and treatable traits can be identified in people with COPD with simple and meaningful measures possibly available even in minimal-resource settings. Regular assessments are recommended as people with COPD may change profile over time and hence their needs of personalised treatment.N/