A cultura das celebridades e os Jovens: do consumo �� participa����o

Tese apresentada para cumprimento dos requisitos necess��rios �� obten����o do grau de Doutor em Ci��ncias da Comunica����o, especializa����o em Estudos dos Media e Jornalismo

The first crystal structure of class III superoxide reductase from Treponema pallidum

J Biol Inorg Chem (2006) 11: 548���558 DOI 10.1007/s00775-006-0104-y

Experimental chemotherapy of Schistosomiasis III: laboratory and clinical trials with trichlorphone, an organophosphorus compound

Oogram studies have been carried out on mice, hamsters, and Cebus morikeys experimentally infected with Schistosoma mansoni and treated with trichlorphone (0,0-dimethyl 1-hydroxy-2, 2, 2-trichloroethylphosphonate). In mice, despite a slight hepatic shift of schistosomes, all animais presented oogram changes when dosed, per os, at the schedules of 200, and 100 mg/kg/day �� 7. In hamsters, antischistosomal activity could be detected only at toxic leveis. In monkeys, trichlorphone showed insignificant action even after oral administration of 30 mg/kg/day for 10 consecutive days. In 5 volunteers, a sharp drop in cholinesterase plasma level was observed 24 hours after a single oral dose of 7.5 mg/kg. However, cholinesterase levels returned to the initial values within a period of 11 to 27 days. Trichlorphone was then administered to 12 schistosome patients (7.5 mg/kg/day, every fort- night, �� 5). One month after therapy, interruption of egg laying was observed in 6 patients. Late parasitological control showed that all treated patients continued to pass viable S. mansoni eggs with their stools.

Perinatal Ischemic Stroke: a Five-Year Retrospective Study in a Level-III Maternity

Objective To study the incidence, clinical presentation, risk factors, imaging diagnosis, and clinical outcome of perinatal stroke. Methods Data was retrospectively collected from full-term newborns admitted to the neonatal unit of a level III maternity in Lisbon with cerebral stroke, from January 2007 to December 2011. Results There were 11 cases of stroke: nine were arterial ischemic stroke and two were cerebral venous sinus thrombosis. We estimated an incidence of arterial ischemic stroke of 1.6/5,000 births and of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis of 7.2/100,000 births. There were two cases of recurrent stroke. Eight patients presented with symptoms while the remaining three were asymptomatic and incidentally diagnosed. The most frequently registered symptoms (8/11) were seizures; in that, generalized clonic (3/8) and focal clonic (5/8). Strokes were more commonly left-sided (9/11), and the most affected artery was the left middle cerebral artery (8/11). Transfontanelle ultrasound was positive in most of the patients (10/11), and stroke was confirmed by cerebral magnetic resonance in all patients. Electroencephalographic recordings were carried out in five patients and were abnormal in three (focal abnormalities n=2, burst-suppression pattern n=1). Eight patients had previously identified risk factors for neonatal stroke which included obstetric and neonatal causes. Ten patients were followed up at outpatients setting; four patients developed motor deficits and one presented with epilepsy. Conclusions Although a modest and heterogeneous sample, this study emphasizes the need for a high level of suspicion when it comes to neonatal stroke, primarily in the presence of risk factors. The prevalence of neurological sequelae in our series supports the need of long-term follow-up and early intervention strategies.

Biology of triatominae (Reduviidade, Hemiptera) from north of Formosa county (Goi��s - Brazil). III: length of life cycle of Psammolestes tertius Lent and Jurberg 1965

In the present work the life cycle of Psammolestes tertius was studied. The mean length, in days, fromeach stage was: 26.3 (�� 1.7) (1st), 28.6 (�� 1.8) (2nd), 28.4 (�� 1.8) (3rd), 32.2 (�� 1.9) (4th) and 33.5 (�� 5.8) (5th). The mean egg incubation period was 15.7 days (�� 1.7). Overall mortality was 48.9% and egg viability was 65.7%.

Time to Left Ventricular Reverse Remodeling after Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy: Better Late than Never

INTRODUCTION: Left ventricular reverse remodeling (LVRR), defined as reduction of end-diastolic and end-systolic dimensions and improvement of ejection fraction, is associated with the prognostic implications of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). The time course of LVRR remains poorly characterized. Nevertheless, it has been suggested that it occurs ���6 months after CRT. OBJECTIVE: To characterize the long-term echocardiographic and clinical evolution of patients with LVRR occurring >6 months after CRT and to identify predictors of a delayed LVRR response. METHODS: A total of 127 consecutive patients after successful CRT implantation were divided into three groups according to LVRR response: Group A, 19 patients (15%) with LVRR after >6 months (late LVRR); Group B, 58 patients (46%) with LVRR before 6 months (early LVRR); and Group C, 50 patients (39%) without LVRR during follow-up (no LVRR). RESULTS: The late LVRR group was older, more often had ischemic etiology and fewer patients were in NYHA class ���II. Overall, group A presented LVRR between group B and C. This was also the case with the percentage of clinical response (68.4% vs. 94.8% vs. 38.3%, respectively, p<0.001), and hospital readmissions due to decompensated heart failure (31.6% vs. 12.1% vs. 57.1%, respectively, p<0.001). Ischemic etiology (OR 0.044; p=0.013) and NYHA functional class <III (OR 0.056; p=0.063) were the variables with the highest predictive value for late LVRR. CONCLUSIONS: Late LVRR has better clinical and echocardiographic outcomes than no LVRR, although with a suboptimal response compared to the early LVRR population. Ischemic etiology and NYHA functional class <III are predictors of late LVRR.

Hist��ria da arte e Guerra Fria

Tese apresentada para cumprimento dos requisitos necess��rios �� obten����o do grau de Doutor em Hist��ria da Arte Contempor��nea

Experimental paracoccidioidomycosis in the mouse. III. Histopathological and immunological findings after intravenous infection in the presence or absence of previous immunization

Fifty male white Swiss mice aged 4 weeks were inoculated with 5 x 10(5) viable yeast forms of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis (strain 18). Ten of these animals had been previously immunized with particulate P. brasiliensis antigenfor 4 weeks by intradermal injection. The controls consisted of 10 animals that were only immunized and 10 animals submitted to no treatment. The animals were sacrificed 2, 4, 7,11 and 16 weeks later. We studied: 1) the anti-P. brasiliensis delayed hypersensitivity response measured by the footpad test 24 hours prior to sacrifice; 2) the specific antibody production measured by double immunodiffusion in agar gel; 3) the histopathology of lungs, liver, spleen, adrenals and kidneys. We observed that: a) the immunized animals developed more intense cell-immune responses than the infected ones; b) infection reduced the cell- immune response of the immunized animals; c) intravenous infection of mice with P. brasiliensis was characterized by a systemic and progressive granulomatous inflammation. The animals infected after previous immunization showed less extensive lung inflammation, with smaller granulomas and fewer fungi. The results indicate that the present murine model mimics some findings of the human subacute form of paracoccidioidomycosis (systemic disease with depressed cellular immunity) and that the extrapulmonary immunization scheme was able to induce a certain degree of protection of the lung from infection with P. brasiliensis

Determinants of entrepreneurship: Are women different?

In this paper we investigate, for the first time, how individual determinants of entrepreneurship - such as age, income, education, work status, skills, access to networks and fear of failure - differ between males and females. We conduct our exercise using individual data provided by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), available for 46 countries, between 2001 and 2004. The literature on entrepreneurship has uncovered differences in the rate of entrepreneurship between men and women, with women generally displaying lower entrepreneurial activity than men. This is important since, as we show, entrepreneurial activity is positively related across countries with the female to male entrepreneurial ratio. We examine total entrepreneurship rates, as well as entrepreneurship driven by opportunity and by need. We find that indeed entrepreneurial activity rates are lower for females across all but one of the countries in the sample. Looking at categorical groups ��� by age interval, education, work status, etc. ��� we find that female entrepreneurial rates are significantly lower than for males. For the first time we test for differences in the characteristics of female and male entrepreneurs and find that female entrepreneurs are slightly older, more frequently at home or not working, lower income and lower educated, and less access to business networks than their male counterparts. AS to the determinants of entrepreneurial rates themselves, the main differences across genders are the lower impact of secondary education and the larger impact of skills and fear of failure in female entrepreneurial rates relative to males. Results for entrepreneurship by opportunity and by necessity confirm the larger importance of specific skills for women creating new businesses,. Our results suggest that facilitating access to business networks and specific business skills are the most powerful instruments to increase the rates of female entrepreneurship.

E-Health individual adoption - empirical model based on UTAUT 2.

The future of health care delivery is becoming more citizen-centred, as today���s user is more active, better informed and more demanding. The European Commission is promoting online health services and, therefore, member states will need to boost deployment and use of online services. This makes e-health adoption an important field to be studied and understood. This study applied the extended unified theory of acceptance and usage technology (UTAUT2) to explain patients��� individual adoption of e-health. An online questionnaire was administrated Portugal using mostly the same instrument used in UTAUT2 adapted to e-health context. We collected 386 valid answers. Performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and habit had the most significant explanatory power over behavioural intention and habit and behavioural intention over technology use. The model explained 52% of the variance in behavioural intention and 32% of the variance in technology use. Our research helps to understand the desired technology characteristics of ehealth. By testing an information technology acceptance model, we are able to determine what is more valued by patients when it comes to deciding whether to adopt e-health systems or not.

Determina����o da preval��ncia de fibrilha����o auricular na popula����o portuguesa ao n��vel da NUTS III usando modelos hier��rquicos bayesianos

A Fibrilha����o Auricular �� uma altera����o do ritmo card��aco designada por arritmia. Esta patologia �� considerada a forma de arritmia mais frequentemente observada na pr��tica cl��nica e que constitui uma importante causa de morbilidade pelo risco inerente de desenvolvimento de AVC. Em 2010 foi realizado um estudo epidemiol��gico na popula����o Portuguesa com o objectivo determinar a preval��ncia de Fibrilha����o Auricular na popula����o portuguesa com idade igual ou superior a 40 anos, sob o acr��nimo de FAMA. Os dados publicados indicaram uma estimativa de preval��ncia de 2,5%, com um aumento da preval��ncia em fun����o da classe et��ria. A n��vel regional n��o foram observadas diferen��as na taxa de preval��ncia. Estudos de mapeamento de doen��as mostraram que a determina����o de taxas de preval��ncia por regi��o, quando o n��mero de casos observados �� relativamente baixo, apresentam sobredispers��o e, consequentemente, uma falta de precis��o nas estimativas obtidas atrav��s um m��todo frequencista cl��ssico. A utiliza����o de modelos Bayesianos hier��rquicos no mapeamento de doen��as tem apresentado vantagem na estima����o de valores de risco da doen��a comparativamente �� abordagem cl��ssica. Assim, �� objectivo deste trabalho determinar a preval��ncia de Fibrilha����o Auricular na popula����o Portuguesa por regi��o, ao n��vel da NUTS III, usando modelos hier��rquicos Bayesianos. Os dados utilizados neste estudo s��o os dados referentes ao estudo FAMA, p��s-estratificados para correc����o dos ponderadores. O modelo Bayesiano proposto por Besag, York e Molli�� (1991) foi usado para modelar os dados, covariando para a idade e ��ndice de massa corporal. A revis��o do desenho do estudo e o rec��lculo dos ponderadores foi realizado com recurso ao software R, survey, e a an��lise Bayesiana efectuada atrav��s do WinBugs. iii Os resultados deste estudo demonstram que o uso de modelos Bayesianos s��o uma melhor op����o para a estima����o de valores risco relativo e preval��ncia da doen��a. Contudo, a utiliza����o de covari��veis n��o resultou numa melhoria consider��vel ao contr��rio do que seria esperado. Conclui-se que a Fibrilha����o Auricular apresenta varia����es regionais significativas, a n��vel de NUTS III, que n��o devem ser desvalorizadas na determina����o de pol��ticas de sa��de p��blica para controle da doen��a.

Educa����o ambiental e empoderamento: construindo cidadania atrav��s do ensino n��o-formal ��� o caso do projecto ���HIST��RIAS DE QUINTAL���

Em tempos nos quais muito se discute acerca dos reflexos da crise ambiental na educa����o, e dos valores, princ��pios e objetivos que melhor lhe caberiam para proporcionar caminhos inovadores �� supera����o da problem��tica ecol��gica, em toda a sua complexidade, esta pesquisa buscou investigar as contribui����es da edi����o de 2012 do projecto de educa����o ambiental n��o-formal ���Hist��rias de Quintal���, da Organiza����o N��o-Governamental EMCANTAR, para o empoderamento de seu p��blico-alvo. Num primeiro momento, elaboramos um mosaico te��rico acerca da educa����o ambiental emancipat��ria, a ��nica que, a nosso ver, revela os verdadeiros sentidos da educa����o ambiental. Para isso, (i) promovemos um breve resgate hist��rico da educa����o ambiental no cen��rio mundial; (ii) oferecemos uma vis��o geral da perspectiva emancipat��ria da educa����o ambiental (pressupostos e fundamentos, princ��pios, caracter��sticas gerais e objetivos); (iii) estabelecemos um corte diferencial entre as perspectivas convencional e emancipat��ria; (iv) ofertamos uma cr��tica �� express��o ���Educa����o para o desenvolvimento sustent��vel���; (v) realizamos um voo panor��mico sobre a dimens��o n��o-formal da educa����o ambiental; (vi) discutimos o empoderamento sob a ��ptica da pedagogia libert��ria de Freire (1987); e (vii) concatenamos essas ideias entre si e com outras correlatas, como desigualdade social, cidadania e participa����o social. Num momento seguinte, apresentamos o projecto em estudo e discorremos acerca de seus pontos principais, bem como das atividades que foram realizadas em seu ��mbito no ano de 2012. Por ��ltimo, realiz��mos entrevistas com os participantes nas actividades e confrontamos os dados colhidos com o que fora apresentado sobre a educa����o ambiental emancipat��ria para, assim, apresentar as conclus��es alcan��adas. Constatamos que a educa����o ambiental promovida pelo ���Hist��rias em Quintal���, em 2012, teve um perfil emancipat��rio e que, enquanto projecto de educa����o n��o-formal, ele teve tamb��m as caracter��sticas, princ��pios, objetivos e metodologias que permitem a promo����o de uma educa����o ambiental verdadeiramente compromissada com a liberta����o dos oprimidos (Freire, 1987) e com a transforma����o da sociedade, e que, por isso, contribuiu para um empoderamento inicial e a n��vel individual do grupo-alvo.

O regime do contrato individual de trabalho da Administra����o P��blica e a Constitui����o Portuguesa

In, Lus��ada ��� Direito, II S��rie, n�� 3 de 2005

Clinical and laboratory characteristics associated with dyslipidemia and liver steatosis in chronic HBV carriers

Introduction Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and liver steatosis (LS) are the most common causes of chronic liver disease, and their coexistence is frequently observed in clinical practice. Although metabolic syndrome is the main cause of LS, it has not been associated with HBV infection. The aims of this study were to describe the lipid profile and prevalence of LS among HBV carriers and to identify the characteristics associated with LS in this group. Methods This retrospective cross-sectional study included hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive patients evaluated during 2011 and 2012. Results Of the 83 patients included, the mean age was 46.4&#177;12.5 years, 53% were men, and 9.1% were hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) -positive. These patients exhibited the following lipid profile: total cholesterol = 175.4&#177;38.8mg/dL, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) = 113.0&#177;32.7mg/dL, and triglycerides = 91.1&#177;45.2mg/dL. Their fasting glucose was 95.3&#177;14.5g/dL, and fasting insulin was 6.1&#177;5.9&#181;IU/mL. Liver steatosis was observed on abdominal ultrasound in 11.3% of individuals. Factors associated with the presence of LS included higher levels of total cholesterol, prothrombin activity, fasting insulin, and body mass index (BMI) as well as lower levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST). Conclusions These findings suggest that LS in patients with chronic HBV appears to be a consequence of metabolic alterations and insulin action rather than of viral factors.