Os Estudos Africanos no Desenvolvimento da Biblioteca Norte/Sul (BN/S) do Centro de Estudos Sociais (CES) da Universidade de Coimbra

Esta comunicação pretende constituir uma partilha das dinâmicas de apoio à pesquisa especializada e das interacções desenvolvidas pela Biblioteca Norte/Sul (BN/S) no contexto da criação de um espaço teórico alternativo não limitado às influências culturais ocidentais. A BN/S apoia a missão do Centro de Estudos Sociais (CES) da Faculdade de Economia da Universidade de Coimbra acompanhando o seu planeamento estratégico, tendo também o compromisso de apoiar a investigação dos projectos, dos núcleos e dos programas de doutoramento da instituição, alguns ministrados em parceria com as Faculdades de Direito, de Economia e de Letras. A “clientela” é – na sua grande maioria – investigadores permanentes, investigadores juniores, doutorandos, pós-doutorandos e alunos integrados em parcerias com universidades brasileiras, em particular, e com as universidades angolanas, cabo-verdianas, goesas, guineenses, moçambicanas, entre outras. A BN/S pretende criar um acervo – prioritariamente constituído por monografias e publicações periódicas – resultante da produção científica realizada nos países do hemisfério Sul – na área das ciências sociais e humanas, englobando um amplo espectro de temas. Pretende-se, assim, com esta comunicação partilhar a experiência da BN/S, resultante da necessidade de melhorar sobretudo a qualidade das publicações sobre estudos africanos, adquiridas com o intuito de apoiar o Programa de Doutoramento “Pós-colonialismo e cidadania global” que abrange temas tão diversos como Justiça, Cidadania, Religião, Feitiçaria, Conhecimentos alternativos, Literatura, etc.

Quadro Nacional de Atribuição de Frequências

O Quadro Nacional de Atribuição de Frequências – QNAF é um documento que apresenta de forma detalhada as subdivisões do espectro radioeléctrico, discriminando para cada faixa de frequências os serviços de radiocomunicações de acordo com as atribuições do Artigo 5º do Regulamento das Radiocomunicações – RR aplicáveis em Cabo Verde.

Molecular epidemiology and evolution of HIV-1 in Portugal and portuguese speaking african countries

The aims of this thesis were to better characterize HIV-1 diversity in Portugal, Angola, Mozambique and Cape Verde and to investigate the origin and epidemiological history of HIV-1 in these countries. The impact of these issues in diagnosis, disease progression and susceptibility to ARV therapy was also investigated. Finally, the nature, dynamics and prevalence of transmitted drug resistance (TDR) was determined in untreated HIV-1 infected patients. In Angola, practically all HIV-1 genetic forms were found, including almost all subtypes, untypable (U) strains, CRFs and URFs. Recombinants (first and second generation) were present in 47.1% of the patients. HIV/AIDS epidemic in Angola probably started in 1961, the major cause being the independence war, subsequently spreading to Portugal. In Maputo, 81% of the patients were infected with subtype C viruses. Subtype G, U and recombinants such as CRF37_cpx, were also present. The results suggest that HIV-1 epidemic in Mozambique is evolving rapidly in genetic complexity. In Cape Verde, where HIV-1 and HIV-2 co-circulate, subtype G is the prevailed subtype. Subtypes B, C, F1, U, CRF02_AG and other recombinant strains were also found. HIV-2 isolates belonged to group A, some being closely related to the original ROD isolate. In all three countries numerous new polymorphisms were identified in the RT and PR of HIV-1 viruses. Mutations conferring resistance to the NRTIs or NNRTIs were found in isolates from 2 (2%) patients from Angola, 4 (6%) from Mozambique and 3 (12%) from Cape Verde. None of the isolates containing TDR mutations would be fully sensitive to the standard first-line therapeutic regimens used in these countries. Close surveillance in treated and untreated populations will be crucial to prevent further transmission of drug resistant strains and maximize the efficacy of ARV therapy. In Portugal, investigation of a seronegative case infection with rapid progression to AIDS and death revealed that the patient was infected with a CRF14_BG-like R5-tropic strain selectively transmitted by his seropositive sexual partner. The results suggest a massive infection with a highly aggressive CRF14_BG like strain and/or the presence of an unidentified immunological problem that prevented the formation of HIV-1-specific antibodies. Near full-length genomic sequences obtained from three unrelated patients enabled the first molecular and phylogenomic characterization of CRF14_BG from Portugal; all sequences were strongly related with CRF14_BG Spanish isolates. The mean date of origin of CRF14_BG was estimated to be 1992. We propose that CRF14_BG emerged in Portugal in the early 1990s, spread to Spain in late 1990s as a consequence of IDUs migration and then to the rest of Europe. Most CRF14_BG strains were predicted to use CXCR4 and were associated with rapid CD4 depletion and disease progression. Finally, we provide evidence suggesting that the X4 tropism of CRF14_BG may have resulted from convergent evolution of the V3 loop possibly driven by an effective escape from neutralizing antibody response.