Evaluating the resistance to sunn pest (Eurygaster integriceps Put) and its relationship with high-molecular-weight glutenin subunit in wheat

Trabalho final de mestrado integrado em Medicina, apresentado à Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Coimbra.Em consequência de um fenómeno global de envelhecimento populacional, é expectável um aumento na prevalência de demência. A demência vascular é a segunda causa mais comum de demência, depois da doença de Alzheimer. Trata-se de uma entidade clínica bastante heterogénea, sendo o acidente vascular cerebral (AVC) um dos seus mecanismos subjacentes. No entanto, nem todos os doentes desenvolvem demência após AVC, e nem sempre ela é do tipo vascular. Idade avançada, características do AVC, as suas complicações, e evidências neuro-imagiológicas de lesão cerebral acrescida, parecem determinar o desenvolvimento de demência. Evitar a recorrência do AVC, através do controlo de fatores de risco vasculares é, por enquanto, a única forma reconhecida de prevenção.As people live longer, an increase in prevalence and burden of dementia is to be expected worldwide. Vascular dementia is the second most common cause of dementia, second to Alzheimer’s disease. It is a heterogeneous clinical entity, with stroke being one of the responsible mechanisms. However, not all stroke patients develop dementia, and not always in the vascular form. Older age, stroke-related factors, its complications and other neuroimaging changes, seem to determine the occurrence of dementia after a stroke. Avoiding recurrence of stroke by careful monitoring and treatment of vascular risk factors is, for now, the only recognized preventive strategy of poststroke dementia

Gender Inequality: Entrepreneurship Development in the MENA Region

Entrepreneurship is increasingly popular among policy makers worldwide to promote and achieve economic development and growth. However, entrepreneurship rates differ from one country to another, and particularly the number of women entrepreneurs is still significantly lower than the number of male entrepreneurs in many contexts. In the present paper, we critically assess how country measures of gender inequality shape men and women's entrepreneurial intentions, which were shown in literature to be excellent predictors of the establishment of new ventures. We analyze the direct and moderating effects of gender inequality on important individual-level antecedents of entrepreneurial intention. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) identified gender inequality as a key contributor to the loss of human development and declared "gender equality" as a sustainable development goal (SDG) in the UN 2030 agenda. Our research draws on the gender inequality index and GEM data from nine Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) countries. Our results show that a culture of inequality leads to limited entrepreneurial behavior by both men and women in a population

Extra-hepatic fascioliasis with peritoneal malignancy tumor feature

Fascioliasis is a zoonose parasitic disease caused by Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica and is widespread in most regions of the world. Ectopic fascioliasis usually caused by juvenile Fasciola spp., but in recent years a few cases of tissue-embedded ova have been reported from different endemic areas. A 79-year-old Iranian man resident in Eird-e-Mousa village from Ardabil Province, north-west of Iran, complained with abdominal pain, nausea, and intestinal obstruction symptoms referred to Ardabil Fatemi hospital. In laparotomy multiple intestinal masses with peritoneal seeding resembling of a malignant lesion were seen. After appendectomy and peritoneal mass biopsy with numerous intraperitoneal adenopathy, paraffin embedded blocks were prepared from each tissues. A blood sample was taken from the patient 5 months later for serological diagnosis. Histopathological examination of sections showed fibrofatty stroma with dense mixed inflammatory cells infiltration and fibrosis in peritoneal masses. Large numbers of ova of Fasciola spp. were noted with typical circumscribed granulomas. Despite of anti-fasciola treatment, IHA test for detecting anti F. hepatica antibodies was positive 5 months after surgery with a titer of 1/128. Due to multiple clinical manifestation of extra-hepatic fascioliasis, its differential diagnosis from intraperitoneal tumors or other similar diseases should be considered

Molecular Epidemiology of Cryptosporidiosis in Iranian Children, Tehran, Iran

Background: Cryptosporidium is a worldwide protozoan parasite and one of the most common causes of infection and diarrhea in humans and cattle. The aim of the present study was determina­tion of subtypes of Cryptosporidium among children with diarrhea in Tehran by se­quence analysis of the highly polymorphic 60-kDa glycoprotein (GP60) gene.Methods: Fecal samples were collected from 794 diarrheic children. Initial identification of Crypto­spo­ridium was carried out on stool samples by Ziehl-Neelsen acid-fast staining method. DNA was extracted from positive microscopically samples and Cryptosporidium genotypes and subtypes were determined, accordingly."nResults: Out of 794 collected samples, 19 (2.40 %) were positive for Cryptosporidium oocysts. Sequences analysis of GP60 gene showed that 17 (89.47 %) of the positive isolates were Crypto­spori­dium parvum and 2 (10.52 %) were C. hominis. All subtypes of C. parvum isolates belonged to allele families IIa (6/17) and IId (11/17). The most common allele in all 17 isolates belonged to IId A20G1a (41.18%). A22G1 (IF) subtype was detected in two C. hominis isolates of the chil­dren."nConclusion: The predominancy of C. parvum species (specially, IId A20G1a sub­type) in current study underlines the importance of zoonotic Cryptosporidium transmission in Iran

Family History as a Risk for Upper Gastrointestinal Tract Cancer: A Case Control Study

Abstract Background: Although, family history of cancer is an important risk factor for upper gastrointestinal cancers development, but limited information is available on the upper gastrointestinal cancers associated with family history in Iran. The purpose of this study was to define upper gastrointestinal cancers risk associated with family history of cancer

Lack of Genetic Association between Interleukin-18 Gene Polymorphism (rs1946518) and Chronic Hepatitis B Infection

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Interleukin 18 is a member of the cytokines that play an important role in the Th1-mediated immune response by inducing interferon-gamma activity in collaboration with Interleukin-12 (IL-18). Interleukin 12 and Interleukin 18 can play an important role in purifying viruses. Considering the importance of IL-18, this study was conducted to investigate the relationship between Interleukin-18 Gene polymorphism (-607 C/A: rs1946518) and the susceptibility to chronic hepatitis B infection. METHODS: In this case-control study, the genomic DNA of 115 patients with chronic hepatitis B (with positive results of HBsAg and Anti-HBcAb serology testing) and 115 non-HBV-infected controls (negative results of HBsAg and Anti-HbcAb serology testing and no history of liver disease) was extracted by salting-out method and the genotype of single-nucleotide polymorphism (-607 C / A: rs1946518) was sequenced using PCR-RFLP method. FINDING: The genotype frequency of TT, GT, and GG in patients was 40%, 49.6%, and 10.4% in patients, and 41.7%, 42.6%, and 15.7% in the control group, respectively. No significant difference was found between the patients group and the control group. CONCLUSION: Based on the results of this study, there was no clear relationship between IL-18 polymorphism and the potential for chronic hepatitis B infection. Therefore, this polymorphism cannot be a potential factor for chronic hepatitis B