Vacina inativada contra gripe trivalente: estudo comparativo da resposta imunitária pelos métodos de inibição de hemaglutinação e da hemólise radial simples

A vacina inativada contra gripe, trivalente, preparada no Instituto Butantan, contendo 200 unidades hemaglutinantes de cada uma das cepas de virus Influenza A/SP/1/80 (H3N2), A/SP/1/78 (H1N1) e B/England/847/73, foi administrada em 110 voluntários humanos adultos, sendo que 62 receberam uma dose de vacina e 48 duas doses, com intervalo de 21 dias. A resposta de anticorpos específicos para influenza foi analisada comparativamente pelos testes de Inibição da Hemaglutinação (IH) e Hemólise Radial Simples (HRS). Ocorreu aumento significativo do teor de anticorpos nos indivíduos vacinados, correspondente a um aumento de 4 vezes ou mais nos títulos obtidos pelo teste IH e a um aumento de 3,0 mm ou maior no diâmetro das zonas de hemólise pelo teste HRS. Os métodos demonstraram correlação satisfatória entre si.

Impact of the background region of interest in the relative renal function

Renal scintigraphy with 99mTc-dimercaptosuccinic acid (99mTc-DMSA) is performed with the aim of detect cortical abnormalities related to urinary tract infection and accurately quantify relative renal function (RRF). For this quantitative assessment Nuclear Medicine Technologist should draw regions of interest (ROI) around each kidney (KROI) and peri-renal background (BKG) ROI, although, controversy still exists about BKG-ROI. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of the normalization procedure, number and location of BKG-ROI on the RRF in 99mTc-DMSA scintigraphy.

The portuguese insurance industry: basis for strategic process decision

Nowadays, the Portuguese insurance industry operates in a market with a much more aggressive structure than a few decades ago. Markets and the economy have become globalised since the last decade of the 20th century. Market forces have gradually shifted – power is now mainly on the demand side. In order to meet the new requirements, the insurance industry must develop a strong strategic ability to respond to constant changes of the new international economic order.One of the basic aspects of this strategic development will focus on the ability to predict the future. We introduce the subject by briefly describing the sector, its organisational structure in the Portuguese market, and challenges arising from the development of the European Union. We then analyse the economic and financial structure of the sector. From this point of view, we aim at the possibility of designing models that could explain the demand for insurance, claims and technical reserves evolution. Such models, (even if based on the past), would resolve, at least partly, one of the greatest difficulties experienced by insurance companies when estimating the budget. Thus, we examine the existence of variables that explain the previous points, which are capable of forming a basis for designing models that are simple but efficient, and can be used for strategic planning.

Relationship of balance to function independence in stroke survivors

Cerebral vascular disease is the primary cause of permanent disability in Portugal. Impaired stability is considered an important feature after stroke as it is related with higher risk of falls and functional dependence. Physiotherapy intervention usually starts early after stroke in order to direct motor recovery and help patients to improve their ability to perform activities of daily living (ADL). Purpose: to investigate the relationship of balance to functionality in acute stroke patients. Methods: 16 subjects (8 women and 8 men), mean age 63,62 ± 2,16y, with unilateral ischemic stroke in the middle cerebral artery territory, who were admitted to physiotherapy department of Fernando Fonseca Hospital in Portugal, within the first month after stroke were recruited to participate in this study. All subjects have no cognitive impairment according to Mini Mental State, no history of lower extremity orthopedic problems and no other disease that could interfere with treatments. All patients gave their inform consent to participate in this study. Subjects were assessed with the Modified Barthel Index (MBI) and the Berg Balance Scale (BBS).

Basis invariant conditions for supersymmetry in the two-Higgs-doublet model

The minimal supersymmetric standard model involves a rather restrictive Higgs potential with two Higgs fields. Recently, the full set of classes of symmetries allowed in the most general two-Higgs-doublet model was identified; these classes do not include the supersymmetric limit as a particular class. Thus, a physically meaningful definition of the supersymmetric limit must involve the interaction of the Higgs sector with other sectors of the theory. Here we show how one can construct basis invariant probes of supersymmetry involving both the Higgs sector and the gaugino-Higgsino-Higgs interactions.

Comparação entre coronariografia efectuada via artéria radial e via artéria femoral

Mestrado em Tecnologia de Diagnóstico e Intervenção Cardiovascular. Área de especialização: Intervenção Cardiovascular.

Effects of lower limb strengthening on balance and function in persons who suffered a stroke

Introduction - Cerebrovascular diseases, and among them, cerebral vascular accidents, are one of the main causes of morbidity and disability at European Union countries. Clinical framework resulting from these diseases include important limitations in functional ability of the these patients Postural control dysfunctions are one of the most common and devastating consequences of a stroke interfering with function and autonomy and affecting different aspects of people’s life and contributing to decrease quality of life. Neurological physiotherapy plays a central role in the recovery of movement and posture, however it is necessary to study the efficacy of techniques that physiotherapists use to treat these problems. Objectives - The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a physiotherapy intervention program, based on oriented tasks and strengthening of the affected lower limb, on balance and functionality of individuals who have suffered a stroke. In addition our study aimed to investigate the effect of strength training of the affected lower limb on muscle tone.

Influence of reconstruction parameters during filtered backprojection and ordered-subset expectation maximization in the measurement of the left-ventricular volumes and function during gated SPECT

A crucial method for investigating patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) is the calculation of the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). It is, consequently, imperative to precisely estimate the value of LVEF--a process that can be done with myocardial perfusion scintigraphy. Therefore, the present study aimed to establish and compare the estimation performance of the quantitative parameters of the reconstruction methods filtered backprojection (FBP) and ordered-subset expectation maximization (OSEM). Methods: A beating-heart phantom with known values of end-diastolic volume, end-systolic volume, and LVEF was used. Quantitative gated SPECT/quantitative perfusion SPECT software was used to obtain these quantitative parameters in a semiautomatic mode. The Butterworth filter was used in FBP, with the cutoff frequencies between 0.2 and 0.8 cycles per pixel combined with the orders of 5, 10, 15, and 20. Sixty-three reconstructions were performed using 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 16 OSEM subsets, combined with several iterations: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 16, 32, and 64. Results: With FBP, the values of end-diastolic, end-systolic, and the stroke volumes rise as the cutoff frequency increases, whereas the value of LVEF diminishes. This same pattern is verified with the OSEM reconstruction. However, with OSEM there is a more precise estimation of the quantitative parameters, especially with the combinations 2 iterations × 10 subsets and 2 iterations × 12 subsets. Conclusion: The OSEM reconstruction presents better estimations of the quantitative parameters than does FBP. This study recommends the use of 2 iterations with 10 or 12 subsets for OSEM and a cutoff frequency of 0.5 cycles per pixel with the orders 5, 10, or 15 for FBP as the best estimations for the left ventricular volumes and ejection fraction quantification in myocardial perfusion scintigraphy.

Effects of the length and timing of nighttime naps on task performance and physiological function

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of the length and timing of nighttime naps on performance and physiological functions, an experimental study was carried out under simulated night shift schedules. METHODS: Six students were recruited for this study that was composed of 5 experiments. Each experiment involved 3 consecutive days with one night shift (22:00-8:00) followed by daytime sleep and night sleep. The experiments had 5 conditions in which the length and timing of naps were manipulated: 0:00-1:00 (E60), 0:00-2:00 (E120), 4:00-5:00 (L60), 4:00-6:00 (L120), and no nap (No-nap). During the night shifts, participants underwent performance tests. A questionnaire on subjective fatigue and a critical flicker fusion frequency test were administered after the performance tests. Heart rate variability and rectal temperature were recorded continuously during the experiments. Polysomnography was also recorded during the nap. RESULTS: Sleep latency was shorter and sleep efficiency was higher in the nap in L60 and L120 than that in E60 and E120. Slow wave sleep in the naps in E120 and L120 was longer than that in E60 and L60. The mean reaction time in L60 became longer after the nap, and faster in E60 and E120. Earlier naps serve to counteract the decrement in performance and physiological functions during night shifts. Performance was somewhat improved by taking a 2-hour nap later in the shift, but deteriorated after a one-hour nap. CONCLUSIONS: Naps in the latter half of the night shift were superior to earlier naps in terms of sleep quality. However performance declined after a 1-hour nap taken later in the night shift due to sleep inertia. This study suggests that appropriate timing of a short nap must be carefully considered, such as a 60-min nap during the night shift.

Análise e aplicação de métodos de modularização no desenvolvimento do produto

Pós-graduação em Engenharia de Produção - FEG

Impact of the background Region of Interest in the relative renal function

Renal scintigraphy with 99mTc-dimercaptosuccinic acid (99mTc-DMSA) is performed with the aim of detect cortical abnormalities related to urinary tract infection and accurately quantify relative renal function (RRF). For this quantitative assessment Nuclear Medicine Technologist should draw regions of interest (ROI) around each kidney (KROI) and peri-renal background (BKG) ROI although controversy still exists about BKG-ROI. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of the normalization procedure, number and location of BKG-ROI on the RRF in 99mTc-DMSA scintigraphy.

Solving MPCC problem with the hyperbolic penalty function

The main goal of this work is to solve mathematical program with complementarity constraints (MPCC) using nonlinear programming techniques (NLP). An hyperbolic penalty function is used to solve MPCC problems by including the complementarity constraints in the penalty term. This penalty function [1] is twice continuously differentiable and combines features of both exterior and interior penalty methods. A set of AMPL problems from MacMPEC [2] are tested and a comparative study is performed.

Solving a signalized traffic intersection problem with an hyperbolic penalty function

Mathematical Program with Complementarity Constraints (MPCC) finds many applications in fields such as engineering design, economic equilibrium and mathematical programming theory itself. A queueing system model resulting from a single signalized intersection regulated by pre-timed control in traffic network is considered. The model is formulated as an MPCC problem. A MATLAB implementation based on an hyperbolic penalty function is used to solve this practical problem, computing the total average waiting time of the vehicles in all queues and the green split allocation. The problem was codified in AMPL.