mHealth initiatives in Portugal

Comunicação apresentada à CISTI'2017 - 12ª Conferência Ibérica de Sistemas e Tecnologias de Informação, realizada de 21-24 de junho de 2017, em Lisboa, Portugal.O paradigma da prestação de cuidados de saúde está lentamente a alinhar-se com as necessidades e hábitos do paciente moderno. A computação móvel pode ser uma solução para responder à crescente tendência e necessidade para a partilha e colaboração de cuidados de saúde, possibilitando o redesenhar de processos e dando origem a novos modelos de prestação de cuidados de saúde. Para conhecer a situação em Portugal das iniciativas de computação móvel neste setor (mobile health) e o seu estado de implementação, seguimos a metodologia de Levac et al. para realizar um levantamento, através de um inquérito e de um estudo exploratório, cujos resultados ficaram espelhados numa matriz desenvolvida para o efeito. O mapeamento do estudo visa sumariar o conhecimento adquirido, num formato acessível e resumido para que decisores políticos, profissionais e consumidores possam fazer uso efetivo das conclusões.The paradigm of health care delivery is slowly aligning with the needs and habits of modern patients. Mobile computing may be a solution to respond to the growing trend and need for health care sharing and collaboration, enabling the redesign of processes giving rise to new models of health care delivery. Seeking to determine the situation in Portugal regarding mobile computing initiatives in this domain (mobile health) and their status of implementation, and following the methodology of Levac et al., we conducted a survey and an exploratory study whose results were mirrored in a matrix developed for this purpose. The mapping of the study aims to summarize the acquired knowledge in an accessible and summarized format so that decision-makers, practitioners and consumers can make effective use of the findings.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Mechanisms of Acaricide Resistance in Ticks

Background: In several countries, including Brazil, the livestock industry plays a key role in the country’s economy. Brazil has the second largest bovine herd in the world and the biggest commercial herd. Ticks are an ongoing problem for both large operation cattle producers and small family farmers. Rhipicephalus microplus causes expressive losses in cattle breeding, since it occurs in important beef production zones like South America, Africa, and Oceania. Some of the negative consequences of tick infestation to cattle breeding are anemia, loss in milk and beef production, and transmission of Babesia bovis and B. bigemina. Significant losses are caused by the cattle tick (R. microplus) in several regions of the world, costing around US$3.3 billion per year to the Brazilian livestock industry alone. The tick control methods are mainly based on synthetic acaricides. However, the improvement of current tick control requires the identification of new molecular targets in tick physiology and development of molecule compounds to target important physiology pathways. The strategies proposed to address this issue are expand the knowledge about the molecules involved in the detoxification of chemicals to enhance the efficacy of the acaricides as well as to develop new compounds for chemical control. Review: Tick control is currently based on chemical acaricides; however, effective control and prevention of tick infestation remain distant goals. In recent decades, a progressive decrease in the efficiency of acaricides due to drug resistance has been observed. Acaricide resistance is an evolutionary adaptation, which implies the existence of behavioral and physiological mechanisms that allow the survival of resistant individuals. Four resistance mechanisms are described: behavioral resistance, reduced drug penetration, target site insensitivity and increased drug detoxification. Augmented drug detoxification may be due to increased activity of enzymes or transporters due to increased gene expression or mutations in some genes. Research focus on mechanisms of acaricide resistance in ticks characterized detoxification pathways based on (1) increased activity of enzymes (cytochrome p450, esterase and GST) which play a role in biochemically altering acaricides towards decreased toxicity and, (2) enhanced excretion of the modified less toxic compounds. To bypass the current problems, a better understanding of the biology, physiology, and molecular biology of the mechanisms of resistance toacaricides is fundamental to prolong their efficiency in controlling ticks. Moreover, identifying the genes and proteins associated with resistance can support in the development of more sensitive diagnostic methods to identify acaricide resistance, as well as improving control strategies. Discussion: In the last years, many researchers have been studying resistance mechanisms and important advances have been made which showed that, in several tick species, ABC transporters, esterases, P-450 cytochromes and glutathione-S-transferases participate in acaricide resistance. The characterization of the alterations in the targets in tick physiology and identification of new drugs with potential to tick control are crucial goals to increase tick control. Keywords: esterases, glutathione S transferases, pyrethroids, organophosphate, acaricide, resistance, parasite, Rhipicephalus microplus, bovine.Background: In several countries, including Brazil, the livestock industry plays a key role in the country’s economy. Brazil has the second largest bovine herd in the world and the biggest commercial herd. Ticks are an ongoing problem for both large operation cattle producers and small family farmers. Rhipicephalus microplus causes expressive losses in cattle breeding, since it occurs in important beef production zones like South America, Africa, and Oceania. Some of the negative consequences of tick infestation to cattle breeding are anemia, loss in milk and beef production, and transmission of Babesia bovis and B. bigemina. Significant losses are caused by the cattle tick (R. microplus) in several regions of the world, costing around US$ 3.3 billion per year to the Brazilian livestock industry alone. The tick control methods are mainly based on synthetic acaricides. However, the improvement of current tick control requires the identification of new molecular targets in tick physiology and development of molecule compounds to target important physiology pathways. The strategies proposed to address this issue are expand the knowledge about the molecules involved in the detoxification of chemicals to enhance the efficacy of the acaricides as well as to develop new compounds for chemical control. Review: Tick control is currently based on chemical acaricides; however, effective control and prevention of tick infestation remain distant goals. In recent decades, a progressive decrease in the efficiency of acaricides due to drug resistance has been observed. Acaricide resistance is an evolutionary adaptation, which implies the existence of behavioral and physiological mechanisms that allow the survival of resistant individuals. Four resistance mechanisms are described: behavioral resistance, reduced drug penetration, target site insensitivity and increased drug detoxification. Augmented drug detoxification may be due to increased activity of enzymes or transporters due to increased gene expression or mutations in some genes. Research focus on mechanisms of acaricide resistance in ticks characterized detoxification pathways based on (1) increased activity of enzymes (cytochrome p450, esterase and GST) which play a role in biochemically altering acaricides towards decreased toxicity and, (2) enhanced excretion of the modified less toxic compounds. To bypass the current problems, a better understanding of the biology, physiology, and molecular biology of the mechanisms of resistance to acaricides is fundamental to prolong their efficiency in controlling ticks. Moreover, identifying the genes and proteins associated with resistance can support in the development of more sensitive diagnostic methods to identify acaricide resistance, as well as improving control strategies. Discussion: In the last years, many researchers have been studying resistance mechanisms and important advances have been made which showed that, in several tick species, ABC transporters, esterases, P-450 cytochromes and glutathione-S-transferases participate in acaricide resistance.  The characterization of the alterations in the targets in tick physiology and identification of new drugs with potential to tick control are crucial goals to increase tick contro

Mechanisms of acaricide resistance in ticks

Background: In several countries, including Brazil, the livestock industry plays a key role in the country’s economy. Brazil has the second largest bovine herd in the world and the biggest commercial herd. Ticks are an ongoing problem for both large operation cattle producers and small family farmers. Rhipicephalus microplus causes expressive losses in cattle breeding, since it occurs in important beef production zones like South America, Africa, and Oceania. Some of the negative consequences of tick infestation to cattle breeding are anemia, loss in milk and beef production, and transmission of Babesia bovis and B. bigemina. Significant losses are caused by the cattle tick (R. microplus) in several regions of the world, costing around US$ 3.3 billion per year to the Brazilian livestock industry alone. The tick control methods are mainly based on synthetic acaricides. However, the improvement of current tick control requires the identification of new molecular targets in tick physiology and development of molecule compounds to target important physiology pathways. The strategies proposed to address this issue are expand the knowledge about the molecules involved in the detoxification of chemicals to enhance the efficacy of the acaricides as well as to develop new compounds for chemical control. Review: Tick control is currently based on chemical acaricides; however, effective control and prevention of tick infestation remain distant goals. In recent decades, a progressive decrease in the efficiency of acaricides due to drug resistance has been observed. Acaricide resistance is an evolutionary adaptation, which implies the existence of behavioral and physiological mechanisms that allow the survival of resistant individuals. Four resistance mechanisms are described: behavioral resistance, reduced drug penetration, target site insensitivity and increased drug detoxification. Augmented drug detoxification may be due to increased activity of enzymes or transporters due to increased gene expression or mutations in some genes. Research focus on mechanisms of acaricide resistance in ticks characterized detoxification pathways based on (1) increased activity of enzymes (cytochrome p450, esterase and GST) which play a role in biochemically altering acaricides towards decreased toxicity and, (2) enhanced excretion of the modified less toxic compounds. To bypass the current problems, a better understanding of the biology, physiology, and molecular biology of the mechanisms of resistance to acaricides is fundamental to prolong their efficiency in controlling ticks. Moreover, identifying the genes and proteins associated with resistance can support in the development of more sensitive diagnostic methods to identify acaricide resistance, as well as improving control strategies. Discussion: In the last years, many researchers have been studying resistance mechanisms and important advances have been made which showed that, in several tick species, ABC transporters, esterases, P-450 cytochromes and glutathione-S-transferases participate in acaricide resistance. The characterization of the alterations in the targets in tick physiology and identification of new drugs with potential to tick control are crucial goals to increase tick control

Putative target sites in synganglion for novel ixodid tick control strategies

Acaricide resistance is a global problem that has impacts worldwide. Tick populations with broad resistance to all commercially available acaricides have been reported. Since resistance selection in ticks and their role in pathogen transmission to animals and humans result in important economic and public health burden, it is essential to develop new strategies for their control (i.e., novel chemical compounds, vaccines, biological control). The synganglion is the tick central nervous system and it is responsible for synthesizing and releasing signaling molecules with different physiological functions. Synganglion proteins are the targets of the majority of available acaricides. In this review we provide an overview of the mode-of-action and resistance mechanisms against neurotoxic acaricides in ticks, as well as putative target sites in synganglion, as a supporting tool to identify new target proteins and to develop new strategies for tick control

The Evolution of Compact Binary Star Systems

We review the formation and evolution of compact binary stars consisting of white dwarfs (WDs), neutron stars (NSs), and black holes (BHs). Binary NSs and BHs are thought to be the primary astrophysical sources of gravitational waves (GWs) within the frequency band of ground-based detectors, while compact binaries of WDs are important sources of GWs at lower frequencies to be covered by space interferometers (LISA). Major uncertainties in the current understanding of properties of NSs and BHs most relevant to the GW studies are discussed, including the treatment of the natal kicks which compact stellar remnants acquire during the core collapse of massive stars and the common envelope phase of binary evolution. We discuss the coalescence rates of binary NSs and BHs and prospects for their detections, the formation and evolution of binary WDs and their observational manifestations. Special attention is given to AM CVn-stars -- compact binaries in which the Roche lobe is filled by another WD or a low-mass partially degenerate helium-star, as these stars are thought to be the best LISA verification binary GW sources.Comment: 105 pages, 18 figure

Pharmacological development of target-specific delocalized lipophilic cation-functionalized carboranes for cancer therapy

PURPOSE: Tumor cell heterogeneity and microenvironment represent major hindering factors in the clinical setting toward achieving the desired selectivity and specificity to malignant tissues for molecularly targeted cancer therapeutics. In this study, the cellular and molecular evaluation of several delocalized lipophilic cation (DLC)-functionalized carborane compounds as innovative anticancer agents is presented. METHODS: The anticancer potential assessment of the DLC-carboranes was performed in established normal (MRC-5, Vero), cancer (U-87 MG, HSC-3) and primary glioblastoma cancer stem (EGFRpos, EGFRneg) cultures. Moreover, the molecular mechanism of action underlying their pharmacological response is also analyzed. RESULTS: The pharmacological anticancer profile of DLC-functionalized carboranes is characterized by: a) a marked in vitro selectivity, due to lower concentration range needed (ca. 10 fold) to exert their cell growth-arrest effect on U-87 MG and HSC-3, as compared with that on MRC-5 and Vero; b) a similar selective growth inhibition behavior towards EGFRpos and EGFRneg cultures (>10 fold difference in potency) without, however, the activation of apoptosis in cultures; c) notably, in marked contrast to cancer cells, normal cells are capable of recapitulating their full proliferation potential following exposure to DLC-carboranes; and, d) such pharmacological effects of DLC-carboranes has been unveiled to be elicited at the molecular level through activation of the p53/p21 axis. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the data presented in this work indicates the potential of the DLC-functionalized carboranes to act as new selective anticancer therapeutics that may be used autonomously or in therapies involving radiation with thermal neutrons. Importantly, such bifunctional capacity may be beneficial in cancer therapy

Economic Impact of a Rotavirus Vaccine in Brazil

The study was done to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a national rotavirus vaccination programme in Brazilian children from the healthcare system perspective. A hypothetical annual birth-cohort was followed for a five-year period. Published and national administrative data were incorporated into a model to quantify the consequences of vaccination versus no vaccination. Main outcome measures included the reduction in disease burden, lives saved, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) averted. A rotavirus vaccination programme in Brazil would prevent an estimated 1,804 deaths associated with gastroenteritis due to rotavirus, 91,127 hospitalizations, and 550,198 outpatient visits. Vaccination is likely to reduce 76% of the overall healthcare burden of rotavirus-associated gastroenteritis in Brazil. At a vaccine price of US$7-8 per dose, the cost-effectiveness ratio would be US$ 643 per DALY averted. Rotavirus vaccination can reduce the burden of gastroenteritis due to rotavirus at a reasonable cost-effectiveness ratio

PRECAUÇÃO COMO PROCESSO NA ORGANIZAÇÃO MUNDIAL DO COMÉRCIO: ANÁLISE DA COMPATIBILIDADE DA LEGISLAÇÃO EUROPEIA SOBRE ORGANISMOS GENETICAMENTE MODIFICADOS

Este trabalho tem por objetivo discutir uma concepção do Princípio da Precaução como um princípio processual de natureza política no âmbito do comércio internacional. Conclui que tal concepção realiza de forma efetiva os direitos humanos ao meio ambiente ecologicamente equilibrado e, principalmente, os direitos ambientais procedimentais à informação e à participação. Defende-se que, no âmbito da Organização Mundial do Comércio, esta é uma leitura do princípio compatível com os tratados relevantes e que legislação europeia sobre organismos geneticamente modificados (OGM’s) é exemplificativa de como normas internas podem se utilizar de tal concepção sem violar os referidos compromissos internacionais. O método utilizado foi o dedutivo com pesquisa na doutrina, legislação e case-law relevante