Modelos de regressão para identificação de marcadores preditivos de asma na descendência de mulheres com atopia

Trabalho de projecto de mestrado, Bioestatística, Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências, 2016A atopia pode definir-se como sendo a tendência pessoal e/ou familiar para a produção de Imunoglobulina E (IgE) contra alergénios ambientais, traduzindo-se por eczema atópico, rinite alérgica e asma alérgica cujas manifestações se iniciam, normalmente, durante a infância e a adolescência. A possibilidade de identificar marcadores de risco para o desenvolvimento de atopia, precocemente, poderá ser o primeiro passo para o desenvolvimento de estratégias de prevenção para os indivíduos em risco. Assim, inicialmente, com este trabalho pretendeu-se identificar diferenças no perfil imunológico de mulheres grávidas com e sem atopia. Posteriormente, foi estudada a possível relação entre as diferenças encontradas nos parâmetros avaliados e o desenvolvimento de atopia na descendência das mulheres grávidas atópicas. Pretendeu-se, assim, não só reconhecer de que forma se relacionam entre si as variações nas diferentes populações celulares avaliadas, mas também se as suas variações de alguma forma se encontravam associadas com o desenvolvimento de atopia nas crianças. Confirmando-se a sua existência, esta relação entre parâmetros imunes maternos e o desenvolvimento de atopia, poderá potenciar a utilização futura destes parâmetros como marcadores preditivos para o desenvolvimento de atopia. De acordo com os objetivos definidos, procedeu-se à construção de modelos de regressão logística, considerando como covariáveis os marcadores de risco anteriormente identificados, bem como outras variáveis relevantes. A variável resposta consistiu na presença/ausência de atopia na descendência. Pela aplicação de modelos de regressão logística, verificou-se a influência dos linfócitos B de transição como fator de risco para a atopia na descendência de mulheres grávidas atópicas.Atopy can be defined as the personal and/or familiar tendency to production of immunoglobulin E (IgE) against environmental allergens, resulting in atopic eczema, allergic rhinitis and allergic asthma whose manifestations begin, usually during childhood and adolescence. The possibility to identify risk factors for the development of atopy, early in life, could be the first step for the development of prevention strategies for individuals at risk. So, initially, this work aimed to identify differences in the immune profile of pregnant women with and without atopy. Subsequently, the possible relationship between the differences in the evaluated parameters and the development of atopy in the offspring of atopic pregnant women was studied. Thus, the aim was not only to recognize how the variation in the different evaluated cell populations were related, but also if their variations were somehow associated with the development of atopy in children. Confirming its existence, the relationship between maternal immune parameters and the development of atopy, may enhance the future use of these parameters as predictive markers for the development of atopy. According to the objectives set, the construction of regression models were made considering as covariates the previously identified risk markers, as well as other relevant variables. The dependent variable was the presence/absence of atopy in the offspring. Using logistic regression models, transitional B cells were identified as a factor risk for atopy event in the progeny of atopic pregnant women

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost

1 ªs Jornadas de Estatística Médica:Programa e Resumos

O Centro de Estatística e Aplicações (CEAUL) organiza a 1.a edição das Jornadas de Estatística Médica que se realizam nos dias 12 e 13 de fevereiro de 2020. Este encontro destina-se a todos os interessados em aplicações da Estatística nas áreas de Medicina, Enfermagem e Indústria Farmacêutica.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Analysis of cervical node metastasis in oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma patients retrospective study and literature comparison

Background/Objective: Oral Cavity Cancer is a frequent type of Head and Neck Cancer, associated with high mortality rates worldwide. One of the main prognostic factors for the disease is regional lymph node metastasis that is associated with survival rate reduction by 50%. Reported tumour sites more frequently associated with regional node metastasis vary throughout literature. Therefore, we aimed to conduct a retrospective study that would allow us to identify the relationship between patient and SCC tumour factors with the rate of neck metastasis and compare our data with the conclusions from similar studies. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted in the Oral Medicine and Oncology Consultation of the Stomatology Department from Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Norte, comprehending patients diagnosed with Squamous Cell Carcinoma between January 2015 and April 2021. As eligibility criteria we considered patients which had clinical charts with complete information including sociodemographic variables, tumour site and disease staging at diagnosis. We excluded tumour sites with only two diagnosed cases, considering bias risk. Three groups were defined according to a clinical/pathological reason. The current research was approved by an independent ethics committee. Results: The sample includes 151 cases, the majority of which were males (≈59%) and with average age at diagnosis (± standard deviation) of 65 ± 13 years-old. Oral tumour sites with highest percentage of cases with clinical positive lymph nodes (cN+) by the time of diagnosis were inferior gingiva (72.7%, n=16), mouth floor (66.7%, n=22), oropharynx (64.7%, n=11), retromolar trigone (58%, n=11) and ventral tongue (57%, n=16). Sites with fewer cases of cN+ were inferior lip (31%, n=4) and superior lip (n=0). Similar results were found in our sample when operated tumors (pN+) were considered: floor of the mouth (65%, n=13), retromolar trigone (63.6%, n=7), inferior gingiva (46.2%, n=6) and ventral tongue (45%, n=9). Tumour sites with fewer pN+ cases were hard palate (25%, n=1), superior gingiva (16.7%, n=1) and inferior lip (0 out of 7 cases). According to Fisher’s exact test there is no statistically significant association (p-value=0.1506) between primary tumour site and cervical node disease (either cN+ or, whenever available, pN+). Conclusions: Our data seem to indicate an association between primary tumour site and N+, being cervical metastasis more frequent when tumour site was posterior and caudally located. Lower lip had the fewer positive lymph nodes, probably correlated with the inclusion in the same group of oral mucosa and skin cancers. Despite these findings, the association was not statistically significant.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Characterisation of microbial attack on archaeological bone

As part of an EU funded project to investigate the factors influencing bone preservation in the archaeological record, more than 250 bones from 41 archaeological sites in five countries spanning four climatic regions were studied for diagenetic alteration. Sites were selected to cover a range of environmental conditions and archaeological contexts. Microscopic and physical (mercury intrusion porosimetry) analyses of these bones revealed that the majority (68%) had suffered microbial attack. Furthermore, significant differences were found between animal and human bone in both the state of preservation and the type of microbial attack present. These differences in preservation might result from differences in early taphonomy of the bones. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved

Neotropical freshwater fisheries : A dataset of occurrence and abundance of freshwater fishes in the Neotropics

The Neotropical region hosts 4225 freshwater fish species, ranking first among the world's most diverse regions for freshwater fishes. Our NEOTROPICAL FRESHWATER FISHES data set is the first to produce a large-scale Neotropical freshwater fish inventory, covering the entire Neotropical region from Mexico and the Caribbean in the north to the southern limits in Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay. We compiled 185,787 distribution records, with unique georeferenced coordinates, for the 4225 species, represented by occurrence and abundance data. The number of species for the most numerous orders are as follows: Characiformes (1289), Siluriformes (1384), Cichliformes (354), Cyprinodontiformes (245), and Gymnotiformes (135). The most recorded species was the characid Astyanax fasciatus (4696 records). We registered 116,802 distribution records for native species, compared to 1802 distribution records for nonnative species. The main aim of the NEOTROPICAL FRESHWATER FISHES data set was to make these occurrence and abundance data accessible for international researchers to develop ecological and macroecological studies, from local to regional scales, with focal fish species, families, or orders. We anticipate that the NEOTROPICAL FRESHWATER FISHES data set will be valuable for studies on a wide range of ecological processes, such as trophic cascades, fishery pressure, the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation, and the impacts of species invasion and climate change. There are no copyright restrictions on the data, and please cite this data paper when using the data in publications