Antifungal action of three (Z)-5-amino-N'-aryl-1-methyl-1H-imidazole-4-carbohydrazonamides

[Excerpt] The incidence of fungal infections has greatly increased in patients under sustained immunosuppression with considerable risk associated. Difficulties regarding prompt diagnosis and the limited therapeutic options dictate high mortality rates. Available antifungals display substantial toxicity, a predictable consequence of the cellular structure of the organisms involved, reduced spectrum of activity, and drug interactions. Our group had previously identified three (Z)-5-amino-N'-aryl-1-methyl-1H-imidazole-4-carbohydrazonamides 1 [aryl= phenyl (1a), 4-fluorophenyl (1b), 3fluorophenyl (1c)] as potent antifungal agents.1 (...)

Mapping numbers onto space in preschool children and adults

Tese de Doutoramento em Psicologia - Especialidade em Psicologia Experimental e Ciências Cognitivas

A aplicação do LibQual aos utilizadores das bibliotecas dos Serviços de Documentação da Universidade do Minho: dados de 2015

No período de 16 a 30 de novembro de 2015, os Serviços de Documentação da Universidade do Minho realizaram um inquérito por questionário aos utilizadores das suas bibliotecas: Biblioteca Geral da Universidade do Minho (U.M.) em Gualtar (BGUM), Biblioteca da U.M. em Guimarães (BPG), Biblioteca da Escola de Ciências da Saúde (BECS) e Biblioteca Nuno Portas (BNP). Dado que se pretendia avaliar a satisfação dos utilizadores das bibliotecas da Universidade do Minho, o questionário aplicado foi o LibQual, adaptação do ServQual ao contexto das bibliotecas e utilizado por muitas em todo o mundo. Este questionário utiliza uma escala de 1 a 9 (valor mínimo, valor observado e valor desejado) e avalia os serviços por dimensões (valor afetivo do serviço, biblioteca como espaço e controlo da informação) e adequação do serviço (adequação do serviço, superioridade do serviço). O questionário foi disponibilizado via web através do sistema LimeSurvey e o acesso ao mesmo exigiu autenticação. As respostas obtidas foram exportadas para Excel.

Effect of ionic liquid anion type in the performance of solid polymer electrolytes based on Poly(Vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene)

The effect of different anions within the ionic liquid in the characteristics of solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) based on P(VDF-TrFE) has been investigated. 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate, [C2mim][OAc], 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium triflate, [C2mim][(CF3SO3)3], 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium lactate, [C2mim][Lactate], 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium thiocyanate, [C2mim][SNC] and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrogen sulphate [C2mim][HSO4] have been used in SPE prepared by thermally induced phase separation (TIPS). The polymer phase, thermal and electrochemical properties of the SPE have been determined. The thermal and electrical properties of the SPEs strongly depend on the selected IL, as determined by their different interactions with the polymer matrix. The room temperature ionic conductivity increases in the following way for the different anions: [SNC] > [CF3SO3)3] > [HSO4] > [Lactate] > [OAc], which is mainly dependent on the viscosity of the ionic liquid.

Influence of climate on clinical diagnostic dry eye tests: pilot study

Purpose. To analyze dry eye disease (DED) tests and their consistency in similar nonsymptomatic population samples living in two geographic locations with different climates (Continental vs. Atlantic). Methods. This is a pilot study including 14 nonsymptomatic residents from Valladolid (Continental climate, Spain) and 14 sex-matched and similarly aged residents from Braga (Atlantic climate, Portugal); they were assessed during the same season (spring) of two consecutive years. Phenol red thread test, conjunctival hyperemia, fluorescein tear breakup time, corneal and conjunctival staining, and Schirmer test were evaluated on three different consecutive visits. Reliability was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient and weighted kappa (J) coefficient for quantitative and ordinal variables, respectively. Results. Fourteen subjects were recruited in each city with a mean (TSD) age of 63.0 (T1.7) and 59.1 (T0.9) years (p = 0.08) in Valladolid and Braga, respectively. Intraclass correlation coefficient and J values of the tests performed were below 0.69 and 0.61, respectively, for both samples, thus showing moderate to poor reliability. Subsequently, comparisons were made between the results corresponding to the middle and higher outdoor relative humidity (RH) visit in each location as there were no differences in mean temperature (p Q 0.75) despite RH values significantly differing (p e 0.005). Significant (p e 0.05) differences were observed between Valladolid and Braga samples on tear breakup time (middle RH visit, 2.76 T 0.60 vs. 5.26 T 0.64 seconds; higher RH visit, 2.61 T 0.32 vs. 5.78 T 0.88 seconds) and corneal (middle RH, 0.64 T 0.17 vs. 0.14 T 0.10; higher RH, 0.60 T 0.22 vs. 0.0 T 0.0) and conjunctival staining (middle RH, 0.61 T 0.17 vs. 0.14 T 0.08; higher RH, 0.57 T 0.15 vs. 0.18 T 0.09). Conclusions. This pilot study provides initial evidence to support that DED test outcomes assessing the ocular surface integrity and tear stability are climate dependent. Future large-sample studies should support these outcomes also in DED patients. This knowledge is fundamental for multicenter clinical trials. Lack of consistency in diagnostic clinical tests for DED was also corroborated. (Optom Vis Sci 2015;92:e284Ye289)

Lewis Score - Prognostic value in patients with isolated small bowel Crohn's disease

Background and aims: Small bowel capsule endoscopy (SBCE) allows mapping of small bowel inflammation in Crohn’s disease (CD). We aimed to assess the prognostic value of the severity of inflammatory lesions, quantified by the Lewis score (LS), in patients with isolated small bowel CD. Methods: A retrospective study was performed in which 53 patients with isolated small bowel CD were submitted to SBCE at the time of diagnosis. The Lewis score was calculated and patients had at least 12 months of follow-up after diagnosis. As adverse events we defined disease flare requiring systemic corticosteroid therapy, hospitalization and/or surgery during follow-up. We compared the incidence of adverse events in 2 patient subgroups, i.e. those with moderate or severe inflammatory activity (LS =790) and those with mild inflammatory activity (135 = LS < 790). Results: The LS was =790 in 22 patients (41.5%), while 58.5% presented with LS between 135 and 790. Patients with a higher LS were more frequently smokers (p = 0.01), males (p = 0017) and under immunosuppressive therapy (p = 0.004). In multivariate analysis, moderate to severe disease at SBCE was independently associated with corticosteroid therapy during follow-up, with a relative risk (RR) of 5 (p = 0.011; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.5–17.8), and for hospitalization, with an RR of 13.7 (p = 0 .028; 95% CI 1.3–141.9). Conclusion: In patients with moderate to severe inflammatory activity there were higher prevalences of corticosteroid therapy demand and hospitalization during follow-up. Thus, stratifying the degree of small bowel inflammatory activity with SBCE and LS calculation at the time of diagnosis provided relevant prognostic value in patients with isolated small bowel CD.

A aplicação do LibQual aos utilizadores das bibliotecas dos Serviços de Documentação da Universidade do Minho: dados de 2016

No período de 18 a 22 de abril de 2016, os Serviços de Documentação da Universidade do Minho realizaram um inquérito por questionário aos utilizadores das suas bibliotecas: Biblioteca Geral da Universidade do Minho (U.M.) em Gualtar (BGUM), Biblioteca da U.M. em Guimarães (BPG), Biblioteca da Escola de Ciências da Saúde (BECS), Biblioteca Nuno Portas (BNP) e Biblioteca de Direito (BD). Dado que se pretendia avaliar a satisfação dos utilizadores das bibliotecas da U.M., o questionário aplicado foi o LibQual (adaptação do ServQual ao contexto das bibliotecas e utilizado por muitas em todo o mundo), muito embora numa versão reduzida. Mantendo-se a escala de avaliação de 1 a 9, apenas foi considerada a avaliação do serviço por dimensão (valor afetivo do serviço, biblioteca como espaço e controlo da informação). O questionário foi disponibilizado via web através do sistema LimeSurvey e o acesso ao mesmo exigiu autenticação. As respostas obtidas foram exportadas para Excel. O questionário foi disponibilizado em português e inglês.