2,079 research outputs found
Belimumab in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE): Evidence-To-Date and Clinical Usefulness
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex autoimmune rheumatic disease with multiple presentations, whose management presents many challenges. Many disease modifying or immunosuppressive drugs have been used with limited success, especially in patients with more severe disease activity. Belimumab is the first drug to be approved specifically for the treatment of SLE in more than 50 years. By blocking the B-cell activating factor, it interferes in B-cell differentiation and survival. Here we consider the results of the clinical trials that led to its approval, as well as the post-hoc analyses, follow-up studies and the current trials.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
The Portuguese-speaking community in Lambeth: a scoping study
This report presents the findings from research with the Portuguese-speaking community in Lambeth commissioned by the London Community Foundation. It is designed to inform the work of the Lambeth Community Fund Grant Committee which makes decisions regarding the distribution the Portuguese Speakers Community Fund. Based mainly on semi-structured, face to face interviews with community representatives and local service providers, it provides a snapshot of the Portuguese-speaking community in Lambeth, its make-up, needs and support structure
Tentativas de SuicĂdio em Adolescentes Internados na Unidade de Internamento de Pedopsiquiatria do Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Central.
Os Comportamentos Auto-Destrutivos (CAD) designam todos os comportamentos que pĂ”em em causa a integridade fĂsica de um indivĂduo. Quando associados a uma intenção de morrer fala-se de Tentativa de SuicĂdio (TS), sendo esta o factor preditor mais importante de risco de suicĂdio, que nos EUA Ă© a 3ÂȘ causa de morte entre os adolescentes. Na
adolescĂȘncia, as TS sĂŁo mais frequentes no gĂ©nero feminino e os suicĂdios no masculino, concorrendo para tal uma sĂ©rie de
factores biopsicossociais. O presente estudo retrospectivo observacional pretende, assim, caracterizar a população de adolescentes internados no Internamento de Pedopsiquiatria
do CHCL por TS, entre Janeiro de 2006 e Fevereiro de 2009, atravĂ©s da recolha de dados demogrĂĄficos, clĂnicos e
psicopatolĂłgicos presentes nos processos clĂnicos
Adolescents who stay, parents who migrate: gender inequalities, resilience and coping strategies in Tajikistan
Studies on the consequences of migration often ignore the
perspectives of children and adolescents who remain in the origin
country while their migrant parents are absent. This is the case in
Tajikistan, one of the poorest and most remittance-dependent
countries in the world. Using a qualitative methodology, microethnography, we interviewed eight teenagers aged between 12 and
18, in the city of Khorugh, Tajikistan, to explore the impact of
migration from their perspective. Findings reveal that these
adolescents âunderstandâ the reasons for their parentsâ migration in a
way that both gives coherence to this migration and invests young
people with resilience and coping strategies. As a result, all the
young people naturalised having to live with sadness, reflecting the
ânormalisationâ of this social cost in wider Tajik society. However, the
experiences and coping strategies of those interviewed are
gendered; boys were more likely to ârationaliseâ their experience and
be aloof; girls more likely to express emotional upset. In practical
terms, boys also received more benefits from remittances while girls
reported feeling overwhelmed by domestic chores expected of
them. Through this study, we contribute to the recent literature on
the lived experiences and agency of non-migrant teenagers.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio
Airport Accessibility and Navigation Assistance for People with Visual Impairments
People with visual impairments often have to rely on the assistance of sighted guides in airports, which prevents them from having an independent travel experience. In order to learn about their perspectives on current airport accessibility, we conducted two focus groups that discussed their needs and experiences in-depth, as well as the potential role of assistive technologies. We found that independent navigation is a main challenge and severely impacts their overall experience. As a result, we equipped an airport with a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacon-based navigation system and performed a real-world study where users navigated routes relevant for their travel experience. We found that despite the challenging environment participants were able to complete their itinerary independently, presenting none to few navigation errors and reasonable timings. This study presents the first systematic evaluation posing BLE technology as a strong approach to increase the independence of visually impaired people in airports
Optical Feedback Loop in Paraxial Fluids of Light: A Gate to new phenomena in analogue physical simulations
Easily accessible through tabletop experiments based on laser propagation
inside nonlinear optical media, Paraxial Fluids of Light are emerging as
promising platforms for the simulation and exploration of quantum-like
phenomena. In particular, the analogy builds on a formal equivalence between
the governing model for a Bose-Einstein Condensate under the mean-field
approximation and the model of laser propagation under the paraxial
approximation. Yet, the fact that the role of time is played by the propagation
distance in the optical analogue system may impose strong bounds on the range
of accessible phenomena due to the limited length of the nonlinear medium. In
this manuscript, we present a novel experimental approach to solve this
limitation in the form of an optical feedback loop, which consists of the
reconstruction of the optical states at the end of the system followed by their
subsequent re-injection exploiting wavefront shaping techniques. The results
enclosed demonstrate the potential of this approach to access unprecedented
dynamics, paving for the observation of novel phenomena in these systems
Dual antibiotherapy of tuberculosis mediated by inhalable locust bean gum microparticles
Despite the existence of effective oral therapy, tuberculosis remains a deadly pathology, namely because of bacterial resistance and incompliance with treatments. Establishing alternative therapeutic approaches is urgently needed and inhalable therapy has a great potential in this regard. As pathogenic bacteria are hosted by alveolar macrophages, the co-localisation of antitubercular drugs and pathogens is thus potentiated by this strategy. This work proposes inhalable therapy of pulmonary tuberculosis mediated by a single locust bean gum (LBG) formulation of microparticles associating both isoniazid and rifabutin, complying with requisites of the World Health Organisation of combined therapy. Microparticles were produced by spray-drying, at LBG/INH/RFB mass ratio of 10/1/0.5. The aerodynamic characterisation of microparticles revealed emitted doses of more than 90% and fine particle fraction of 38%, thus indicating the adequacy of the system to reach the respiratory lung area, thus partially the alveolar region. Cytotoxicity results indicate moderate toxicity (cell viability around 60%), with a concentration-dependent effect. Additionally, rat alveolar macrophages evidenced preferential capture of LBG microparticles, possibly due to chemical composition comprising mannose and galactose units that are specifically recognised by macrophage surface receptors. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.National Portuguese funding through FCT - Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia [PTDC/DTP-FTO/0094/2012, UID/BIM/04773/2013, UID/Multi/04326/2013, UID/QUI/00100/2013, PEst-OE/QUI/UI4023/2011
Stage III Kienböck's Disease Treated with Hyperbaric Oxygen: the Role of an Unusual Approach to a Rare Condition
Kienböck's disease is a rare condition characterised by avascular necrosis of the lunate bone. Its natural history and aetiopathogenesis have not yet been clarified, nor are its triggering factors identified. We present a case of a 17-year-old male gymnast, without relevant medical/family history, with stage IIIA Kienböck's disease diagnosed in 2016. Initially, submitted to conservative treatment that proved to be insufficient. Consequently, surgical treatment was proposed, but refused. The patient instead underwent experimental treatment with hyperbaric oxygen (120 sessions, 100% oxygen at 2.5 atm, for 70âmin periods, once daily, five times per week). In April 2018, a favourable clinical and radiological evolution was observed, with an improvement in the patterns of pain, motion and strength and an almost complete involution of the process of aseptic necrosis of the semilunar. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of Kienböck's disease treated with hyperbaric oxygen.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
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