Teste Repositóri
2014-01-01
Resultados de pesquisa
Foram encontrados 4.736 registos.
The host blood-feeding patterns of mosquito vectors affects the likelihood of human exposure to zoonotic pathogens, including West Nile Virus (family Flaviviridae, genus Flavivirus, WNV). In Portugal, data are unavailable regarding the blood-feeding habits of common mosquito species, including Culex pipiens L., considered the primary vector of WNV to humans. The sources of bloodmeals in 203 blood-fed mosquitoes of nine species collected from June 2007 to November 2010 in 34 Portuguese counties were analyzed by sequencing cytochrome-b partial fragments. Cx. pipiens was the most common species collected and successfully analyzed (n = 135/78). In addition, blood-fed females of the following species were analyzed: Ochlerotatus caspius Pallas (n = 20), Culex theileri Theobald (n = 16), Anopheles maculipennis s.l. Meigen (n = 10), Culiseta l...
Ficha técnica: Diretor: José Pereira Miguel; Editores:Carlos Matias Dias, Elvira Silvestre; Conselho Editorial Científico: Carlos Matias Dias, Elsa Alverca, Jorge Machado, Manuela Caniça,Peter Jordan,Sílvia Viegas, Sofia Guiomar
We report a case of meningitis due to Haemophilus influenzae serotype d strain in an infant. As far as we know, this is the first report of a serotype d strain, responsible for childhood invasive disease in Europe, demonstrating an emerging of H. influenzae non-b serotype, in the post-vaccination era.
Previous studies have shown that the river Sado Estuary (W Portugal) is highly susceptible to contamination due to
anthropogenic activity. In fact, sizable concentrations of metals, pesticides and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons have
been measured in sediments from various points of the estuary. Those compounds may be absorbed by aquatic species,
making it a public health issue when entering the human food chain. The purpose of this study was to assess the cytotoxic
and genotoxic potential of sediment extracts in a human cell line, through the neutral red uptake assay and the alkaline
comet assay, respectively. Three sediment samples were collected: two in potentially contaminated sites (samples C and F,
Sado Estuary) and one in a putative control station (sample M, Mira Estuary). The overall contaminants were extracted
from th...
Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2-NP) are being increasingly used in cosmetics and pharmaceutical products. In view of
its widespread use, there is a strong demand to evaluate their potential adverse effects to man, particularly their genotoxic
effects. Although several studies have already addressed this issue, a conclusion about TiO2-NP safety has not been
reached yet. As part of a wider EU Joint Action, this work aims at characterizing the genotoxicity of four TiO2-NP (anatase,
rutile, and rutile/anatase), in human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL). The cytokinesis-block micronucleus (CBMN) assay
(OECD 487) was used to assess both genotoxicity and cytotoxicity, following exposure to several concentrations of each
NP (5-250 μg/mL), during 30h. Preliminary data indicate that the anatase and rutile TiO2-NP do not display clea...
Mutation is a possible consequence of DNA damage and it is the most prominent event of the carcinogenic process. Spontaneous mutations originate from endogenous metabolic processes, such as inaccurate DNA replication or repair, whereas induced mutations arise from exposure to exogenous agents. Once DNA damage occurs, a complex network of repair functions is triggered to protect cells against the deleterious consequences of mutations and in order to maintain genomic stability. Among the several DNA repair pathways available in eukaryotic cells, base excision repair (BER) is required to repair non-bulky DNA adducts such as oxidized bases. Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP1) is a ubiquitous protein in mammalian cells, with a relevant role in BER and participating also in other complex biochemical processes including double strand break...
Malignant glioblastomas are the most common and lethal adult brain tumours, with patients dying within two years from diagnosis. Little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying the formation and/or development of these tumours, which present a very invasive phenotype within the brain and are genetically heterogeneous and highly resistant to both chemo- and radio-therapies. Recently, the promoter region of the protein kinase WNK2 gene was found to be hypermethylated in 29 of 31 infiltrative gliomas and about 80% of meningiomas. We have previously described that the experimental depletion of WNK2 expression decreases RhoA activity whilst leading to increased Rac1 activity. Because RhoA/Rac1 activities are important for cell migration and glioblastomas are very invasive tumours, we tested the effects of WNK2 on wound-healing ass...
A comprehensive proteomic profiling of nasal epithelium (NE) is described. This study relies on simple subcellular fractionation used to obtain soluble- and membrane-enriched fractions followed by 2-dimensional liquid chromatography (2D-LC) separation and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). The cells were collected using a brushing technique applied on NE of clinically evaluated volunteers. Subsequently, the soluble- and the membrane-protein enriched fractions were prepared and analyzed in parallel using 2D-LC-MS/MS. In a set of 1482 identified proteins, 947 (63.9%) proteins were found to be associated to membrane fraction. Grand average hydropathy value index (GRAVY) analysis, the transmembrane protein mapping and annotations of primary location deposited in the Human Protein Reference Database (HPRD) confirmed an enrichment of hydropho...
The August 2003 heat-wave accounted for an excess of more than 1900 deaths in Portugal.
At the European level it is acknowledged that this heat-wave was responsible for an excess of about 70000 deaths.
In both situations a considerable number of deaths seem to have occurred in hospitals.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between hospital existence of AC and the in hospital mortality rate during the 2003 heat-wave in Portugal mainland.
A historic cohort design was used, including all patients with aged 45 or more, hospitalized during the last 7 days before
the beginning of 2003’s heat-wave, and, therefore exposed to excess heat only in hospital.
The study endpoint was the survival of patients in the 18 days of the heat-wave plus two days. This endpoint was
compared between patients in services with air-conditi...
