Cost-Effectiveness of Routine Screening for Cardiac Toxicity in Patients Treated with Imatinib in Brazil

AbstractWe performed a cost-effectiveness study of different strategies of screening for cardiotoxicity in patients receiving imatinib, the first strategy based on yearly echocardiograms in all patients and the second strategy based on yearly B-type natriuretic peptide level measurement, reserving echocardiograms for patients with an abnormal test result. Results are presented in terms of additional cost per diagnosis as compared with not performing any screening. From the Brazilian private sector’s perspective, strategies 1 and 2 resulted in additional costs of US $30,951.53 and US$19,925.64 per diagnosis of cardiotoxicity, respectively. From the perspective of the Brazilian public health system, the same strategies generated additional costs of US $7,668.00 and US$20,232.87 per diagnosis, respectively. In our study, systematic screening for cardiotoxicity in patients using imatinib has a high cost per diagnosis. If screening is to be adopted, a strategy based on B-type natriuretic peptide level measurement, reserving echocardiography for patients with abnormal results, results in lower costs per diagnosis in the private sector. From the public health system’s perspective, costs per diagnosis will greatly depend on the reimbursement values adopted for B-type natriuretic peptide level measurement

Optimization of estradiol monitoring in raw and treated wastewater samples by response surface methodology

The ever-increasing use of endocrine disruptors compounds (EDCs), through pharmaceuticals such as synthetic estrogens, both in humans as well as in animals, are raising its concentration in the environment. Estradiol, also designed as 17β-Estradiol (see Fig. 1), belongs to the pharmaceutical class of steroid estrogens and was included in the “Watch List” since 2013 the Directive 2013/39/EU due to its potential risk to human health and environment. The low removal efficiency of estrogens by the conventional wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), becomes a major source of their release into different aquatic matrices. Therefore, the occurrence and, more importantly, the destination of these compounds are matters of utmost importance towards a better public health. The aim of this work is the optimization of solid phase extraction/high performance liquid chromatography (SPE/HPLC) using the response surface methodology (RSM) to detect and quantify 17β-Estradiol in WWTPs effluents.The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support through national funds FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC) to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020, UIDP/00690/2020 and EXPL2021CIMO_05-REMPHARM) and SusTEC (LA/P/0007/2021). J.L. Diaz De Tuesta acknowledges the financial support of “Comunidad de Madrid” (Spain) for the individual research grant 2020-T2/AMB-19836.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Monitoring of 17 β-Estradiol in raw and treated waters of wastewater treatment plants

Nowadays, there has been a growing concern regarding the possible consequences of exposure to estrogens through its direct or indirect consumptioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

How to define the success of physiotherapy in chronic low back pain patients?

Trabalho apresentado no 10th Congress of European Pain Federation (EFIC), 6-9 setembro 2017, Copenhaga, DinamarcaN/

Optimization and kinetic study of biodiesel production through esterification of oleic acid applying ionic liquids as catalysts

In this study, 1-methylimidazolium hydrogen sulfate, [HMIM]HSO4, ionic liquid, was successfully applied as a catalyst in the biodiesel production through the esterification reaction of oleicacid withmethanol.A response surface methodology (RSM) known as Box-Behnken Design (BBD) was applied to optimize the main experimental reaction conditions,using a set of 27 experiments.This optimization was based on the maximization of both the conversion of oleic acid and the Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAME) content of the obtained biodiesel samples.It was concluded that the two most relevant parameters for both the conversionand the FAME content were the molar ratio between oleic acid and methanol and the catalyst dosage.Accordingly to the model,the optimum condition for the maximum conversion was determined as being 8h, 110 ± 2°C, 15:1M ratio methanol/oleic acid and a catalyst dosage of 15wt%,resulting in a 95% conversion and for the maximum FAME content were 8h,110 ± 2°C,14:1M ratio and a catalyst dosage of 14wt%,leading to a FAME content of 90%. The kinetics of the esterification reaction was also evaluated,and the experimental results were well described using a third-order reaction model. The kinetic parameters were experimentally determined,and the value of the activation energy was 6.8kJ/mol and the pre-exponential factor was 0.0765L2.mol−2.min−1 confirming that the ionic liquid,[HMIM]HSO4,is a good alternative for replacing traditional catalysts for biodiesel production through esterification reaction.The authors hereby acknowledge Dr. Isabel Patrícia Fernandes and Prof. Dr. Filomena Barreiro, for the support provided regarding the FTIR analysis, and Eng. Cristiana Brás Meireles. Also, the authors express their gratitude to Instituto Politécnico de Bragança and Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Evaluation of Road Signs conformity for improving road safety in urban Areas: a Case Study in Guimarães, Portugal

A segurança rodoviária depende da existência de uma rede de sinalética apropriada e de uma correta manutenção dos sinais ao longo do tempo. Os sinais verticais de trânsito, para serem efetivamente funcionais, devem permanecer adequadamente visíveis e percetíveis. Neste artigo apresenta-se uma metodologia para avaliar o nível de conformidade dos sinais, procurando identificar eventuais deficiências funcionais. A metodologia baseia-se numa análise multicritério, onde são considerados dois critérios e oito subcritérios relacionados com as características físicas e operacionais dos sinais. A visibilidade dos sinais foi avaliada através de uma análise em SIG, considerando as distâncias de travagem e de paragem. O nível de intervenção obtido é constituído por quatro níveis, em função da necessidade e da urgência em recuperar a função dos sinais. A metodologia foi aplicada na cidade de Guimarães, Portugal. Os resultados comprovam a funcionalidade da metodologia e revelam que mais de metade dos sinais analisados não estão totalmente em conformidade com as normas, muito por culpa da estrutura urbana compacta e da presença de vegetação nas ruas. Uma vez que, para vários sinais, as distâncias de travagem e de paragem não são adequadas, pode-se concluir que os utilizadores destas ruas estão expostos a riscos que ameaçam a sua segurança.Road safety depends on the existence of an adequate network of signs and an effective management for proper conservation. Vertical traffic signs will only be effectively functional if they still provide adequate visibility and legibility. This paper presents a methodology to evaluate the level of conformity of traffic signs, in order to identify where to improve their functionality. The methodology is based on a multicriteria analysis, using two criteria and eight subcriteria that are related with signs physical and operational attributes. Their visibility was evaluated through a spatial analysis in a geographical information system, taking into account the braking and stopping distances. The intervention level is defined by four levels related with the necessity and urgency in restoring signs functionality. This methodology was applied in the city of Guimarães, Portugal. The results showed the usefulness of the methodology and revealed that more than half of the analyzed signs not fully complied with the norms, mainly due to the compactness of the urban structure e the presence of vegetation in streets. Since the braking and stopping distances of many signs are not adequate, it can be concluded that road users are exposed to risks and their safety can be threated.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Avaliação da visibilidade de sinais de trânsito com base numa análise multicritério implementada num SIG. Uma aplicação no centro de Guimarães, Portugal

Publicado em "Anais do 7º Congresso Luso-Brasileiro para o Planejamento Urbano, Regional, Integrado e Sustentável"A visibilidade dos sinais de trânsito é fundamental para regular o tráfego rodoviário, auxiliar os condutores e garantir a segurança dos utilizadores das vias. Neste artigo apresenta-se uma metodologia para avaliar a visibilidade dos sinais verticais de trânsito. Com base numa análise multicritério, atribuiram-se pesos a três parâmetros que condicionam a visibilidade dos sinais: a dimensão do sinal, a dimensão do poste e a visibilidade do sinal. A análise da visibilidade foi realizada através do geoprocessamento num SIG a partir da rasterização do terreno. Com a aplicação da análise multicritério obteve-se uma escala de prioridades de intervenção associada à visibilidade dos sinais. Esta metodologia foi aplicada a um conjunto de sinais na cidade de Guimarães, Portugal. Os resultados comprovam a funcionalidade da metodologia e revelam que os sinais na cidade de Guimarães têm problemas de visibilidade resultantes da estrutura urbana compacta e da presença de vegetação nas ruas