Total IgE detection in paired cerebrospinal fluid and serum samples from patients with neurocysticercosis

Neurocysticercosis (NC), the presence of Taenia solium metacestodes in tissues, is the most frequent and severe parasitic infection of the central nervous system. We investigated the presence of total IgE by an automated chemiluminescence assay in 53 paired cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum samples from patients with NC (P) and in 40 CSF samples from individuals with other neurological disorders as the control group (C). Total IgE concentration ranged from 1.2 to 6.6 IU/ml (mean = 1.4 IU/ml, standard deviation-sd = 1.1 IU/ml) in 28.3% of CSF samples from the P group, a value significantly higher than for the C group (£1.0 IU/ml). The serum samples from the P group showed concentrations ranging from 1.0 to 2330.0 IU/ml (mean = 224.1 IU/ml, sd = 452.1 IU/ml), which were higher than the normal value cited by the manufacturer (<100.0 IU/ml) in 32.1% of the samples. A significant difference was observed in CSF samples from the P and C groups (p = 0.005) and in serum samples from the P group compared to the normal value (p = 0.005), with sera showing more frequent abnormal results.

O e-learning na manutenção industrial uma proposta de e-learning aplicada à manutenção produtiva total

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia e Gestão Industrial

Assessing and comparing the total antioxidant capacity of commercial beverages: application to beers, wines, waters and soft drinks using TRAP, TEAC and FRAP methods.

This work measures and tries to compare the Antioxidant Capacity (AC) of 50 commercial beverages of different kinds: 6 wines, 12 beers, 18 soft drinks and 14 flavoured waters. Because there is no reference procedure established for this purpose, three different optical methods were used to analyse these samples: Total Radical trapping Antioxidant Parameter (TRAP), Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity (TEAC) and Ferric ion Reducing Antioxidant Parameter (FRAP). These methods differ on the chemical background and nature of redox system. The TRAP method involves the transfer of hydrogen atoms while TEAC and FRAP involves electron transfer reactions. The AC was also assessed against three antioxidants of reference, Ascorbic acid (AA), Gallic acid (GA) and 6-hydroxy-2,5,7,8-tetramethyl- 2-carboxylic acid (Trolox). The results obtained were analyzed statistically. Anova one-way tests were applied to all results and suggested that methods and standards exhibited significant statistical differences. The possible effect of sample features in the AC, such as gas, flavours, food colouring, sweeteners, acidity regulators, preservatives, stabilizers, vitamins, juice percentage, alcohol percentage, antioxidants and the colour was also investigated. The AC levels seemed to change with brand, kind of antioxidants added, and kind of flavour, depending on the sample. In general, higher ACs were obtained for FRAP as method, and beer for kind of sample, and the standard expressing the smaller AC values was GA.

The effect of method, standard and sample components on the total antioxidant capacity of commercial waters assessed by optical conventional assays

The total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of 28 flavoured water samples was assessed by ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP), oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) and total reactive antioxidant potential (TRAP) methods. It was observed that flavoured waters had higher antioxidant activity than the corresponding natural ones. The observed differences were attributed to flavours, juice and vitamins. Generally, higher TAC contents were obtained on lemon waters and lower values on guava and raspberry flavoured waters. Lower and higher TACs were obtained by TRAP and ORAC method, respectively. Statistical analysis suggested that vitamins and flavours increased the antioxidant content of the commercial waters.

Candidemia in a Brazilian hospital: the importance of Candida parapsilosis

The aim of this study was to perform a retrospective analysis of cases of candidemia in a Brazilian hospital in the city of Fortaleza, Ceará. A total of 50 blood cultures were analyzed from 40 candidemic patients. The mycological diagnosis was based on the phenotypical analysis and the patients' data were recorded in appropriate files. The most frequent species were Candida parapsilosis (n = 18), followed by C. albicans (n = 14), C. tropicalis (n = 8), C. guillermondii (n = 6), C. glabrata (n = 2), and Candida spp. (n = 2). A detailed descriptive study was undertaken with 21 patients whose medical records were complete. The candidemia episodes occurred in eight male patients and 13 female patients. The most representative risk factors implicated in candidemia were prior antibiotic therapy, central venous catheters, parenteral nutrition, gastric probes and mechanical ventilation. Death occurred in 13 of the 21-candidemic patients. This study demonstrated the emergence of candidemia caused by C. parapsilosis in a Brazilian hospital in the city of Fortaleza, Ceará.

Treatment of chronic hepatitis C in non-responsive patients with pegylated interferon associated with ribavirin and thalidomide: report of six cases of total remission

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is an important public health issue worldwide. It is estimated that over 170 million people are infected with the virus. The present study reports six cases in which patients did not respond to combination therapy with pegylated interferon and ribavirin. However, after the addition of thalidomide to the therapy, the patients presented negative RNA PCR. The use of thalidomide combined with pegylated interferon and ribavirin for the treatment of hepatitis C is described here for the first time in the related literature.

Fluido Torácico Total. Um Possível Determinante da Eficácia Ventilatória em Doentes com Insuficiência Cardíaca

A eficácia ventilatória, avaliada por prova de esforço cardiorrespiratória (PECR), tem um importante valor prognóstico em doentes (dts) com insuficiência cardíaca crónica (ICC) por disfunção sistólica ventricular esquerda (DSVE). Os seus determinantes mantêm-se, contudo, controversos. Objectivo: Investigar a eventual correlação entre parâmetros de eficácia ventilatória, obtidos por PECR, e o valor do fluido torácico total (FTT), avaliado por bioimpedância eléctrica torácica (BET), em dts com ICC por DSVE. Métodos: Estudámos 120 dts com ICC por DSVE, referenciados ao nosso laboratório para PECR — 76% do sexo masculino, idade 52,1 ± 12,1 anos, 37% de etiologia isquémica, fracção de ejecção ventricular esquerda 27,6 ± 7,9%, 83% em ritmo sinusal, 96% sob iECA e/ou ARAII, 79% sob beta-bloqueante e 20% tratados com dispositivo de ressincronização cardíaca. Os dts efectuaram PECR, em tapete rolante, protocolo de Bruce modificado,sendo considerados para análise, como parâmetro de capacidade funcional, o consumo de oxigénio de pico (VO2p) e, como parâmetros de eficácia ventilatória, o declive (d) da relação entre ventilação minuto(VE) e produção de CO2 (VCO2) e o valor do VE/VCO2 no limiar anaeróbico (LANA). Os estudos por BET, média de 20 minutos de aquisição, foram efectuados após 15 minutos de repouso, em posição supina, imediatamente antes das PECR, sendo analisado o valor do FTT. Resultados: O valor do FTT variou entre 20,6 e 45,8 kOhm−1, média = 32,2, DP = 5,7, mediana = 32,7, o de VO2p entre 8,9 e 40,6 ml/kg/min, média = 21,0, DP = 6,2, mediana = 20,2, o do dVE/VCO2 entre 19,8 e 60,7, média = 30,7, DP = 7,9, mediana = 29,1 e o do VE/VCO2 no LANA entre 21 e 62,média = 33,1, DP = 7,5, mediana = 31,5. Por regressão linear, o FTT não se correlacionou com o VO2p — r = 0,05, p = 0,58 — mas apresentou correlação com os parâmetros de eficácia ventilatória analisados: r = 0,20, p = 0,032, r² = 0,04 com dVE/VCO2 e r = 0,25, p = 0,009, r² = 0.06 com VE/VCO2 no LANA. Conclusão: O FTT correlaciona-se com os parâmetros de eficácia ventilatória, avaliados por PECR, em dts com ICC por DSVE, o que indica que poderá ser um dos seus determinantes.

Chronic hepatitis C: hepatic iron content does not correlate with response to antiviral therapy

The complex interaction between hepatitis C virus infection, iron homeostasis and the response to antiviral treatment remains controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of hepatic iron concentration (HIC) on the sustained virological response (SVR) to antiviral therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C. A total of 50 patients who underwent pretreatment liver biopsy with assessment of HIC by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy and were subsequently submitted to antiviral treatment with interferon/peginterferon and ribavirin were included in the study. Patients with alcoholism, history of multiple blood transfusion, chronic kidney disease, hemolytic anemia and parenteral iron therapy were excluded. The iron related markers and HIC were compared between those who achieved an SVR and non-responders (NR) patients. The mean age was 45.7 years and the proportion of patients' gender was not different between SVR and NR patients. The median serum iron was 138 and 134 µg/dL (p = 0.9), the median serum ferritin was 152.5 and 179.5 ng/mL (p = 0.87) and the median HIC was 9.9 and 8.2 µmol/g dry tissue (p = 0.51), for SVR and NR patients, respectively. Thus, hepatic iron concentration, determined by a reliable quantitative method, was not a negative predictive factor of SVR in patients with chronic hepatitis C presenting mild to moderate hepatic iron accumulation.

A fenomenologia enquanto lugar total da vida: diálogo poético-amoroso entre Merleau-Ponty e alguns pensadores e artistas

Dissertação de doutoramento em Filosofia Contemporânea

Artroplastia Total do Joelho Dolorosa

A Artroplastia Total do Joelho (ATJ) tem vindo a assumir-se como a opção cirúrgica mais frequente no tratamento de doentes com alterações degenerativas da articulação do joelho devido aos ótimos resultados funcionais e melhoria da dor. No entanto, a percentagem de doentes com sintomas dolorosos após a realização deste procedimento atinge em algumas estatísticas publicadas valores significativos que oscilam entre os 10 e os 20%. Em alguns casos a dor não é facilmente explicável, representando um desafio para o cirurgião. Os autores relatam o caso de uma doente de 71 anos submetida a ATJ primária, no contexto de patologia degenerativa idiopática associado a desvio axial em varum. A dor localizava-se na face anteroexterna do joelho ao nível da interlinha articular e tiveram início no pós-operatório de forma gradual, associadas ao aumento da mobilidade. Devido à presença de um sintoma associado a atividade mecânica, foram colocadas várias hipóteses, entre as quais a possibilidade de conflito com resquício intra-articulares do compartimento externo do joelho. A doente foi submetida a artroscopia da articulação do joelho que revelou a existência de um fragmento meniscal que provocava conflito entre o côndilo externo do componente artroplástico femoral e o polietileno no movimento de extensão máxima do joelho. Procedeu-se a remoção artroscópica do fragmento com melhoria sintomática completa. Os autores pretendem com este caso evidenciar a importância da investigação diagnóstica para o tratamento da dor inexplicável na ATJ, e o valor terapêutico da artroscopia nos casos de provável conflito.

Endocardite por Cândida Parapsilosis Após Correcção Total de Tetralogia de Fallot. Tratamento Médico-Cirúrgico

São apresentados três casos de endocardite por Cândida Parapsilosis que surgiram em crianças com idade entre os sete e os nove anos, após terem sido submetidas a correcção total de Tetralogia de Fallot. As três crianças foram reoperadas, tendo recebido previamente uma delas terapêutica médica com anfotericina B e duas exclusivamente com Ketoconazol oral. Após negativação das hemoculturas foi efectuada remoção cirúrgica das vegetações com substituição do patch septal de dacron. A terapêutica com Ketoconazol prosseguiu durante 24 meses, com follow-up de 30 a 42 meses, não se tendo verificado nem reinfecção nem efeitos secundários da terapêutica. A ecocardiografia bidimensional revelou-se um método eficaz no diagnóstico e seguimento a longo prazo. A terapêutica médico-cirúrgica combinada, com timing cirúrgico baseado em dados clínicos e laboratoriais foi fundamental para os bons resultados, estando as crianças actualmente curadas.

The merger of Total Portugal and CEPSA

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics