Inflammatory markers in prepubertal children and their associations with abdominal fat.

Objective: To evaluate the association between inflammatory markers and abdominal fat assessed by ultrasound in prepubertal children with and without excess weight.

Methods: A cross-sectional study involving 241 prepubertal children, 156 with obesity, 37 with overweight, and 48 with normal weight, aged five to ten years, who were followed at a research unit on Childhood Obesity from a teaching hospital belonging to a public health system. The concentration of interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α and C-reactive protein were assessed and regression analyses, considering outcome variables such as abdominal wall and intra-abdominal fat thickness measured by ultrasound, were performed.

Clinical and Laboratory Data Up on Hospital Admission are Predictors of New-Onset Atrial Fibrillation in Patients Hospitalized Due to COVID-19 Pneumonia.

Background: New-onset atrial fibrillation (NOAF) occurs in patients hospitalized due to COVID-19. It is still unknown whether clinical and laboratory data assessed upon hospital admission have predictive value for NOAF.

Objectives: To analyze, upon hospital admission, variables with predictive potential for the occurrence of NOAF in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia.

An online platform for COVID-19 diagnostic screening using a machine learning algorithm.

Objective: COVID-19 has brought emerging public health emergency and new challenges. It configures a complex panorama that has been requiring a set of coordinated actions and has innovation as one of its pillars. In particular, the use of digital tools plays an important role.

Immunohistochemical Expression of Tensin-4/CTEN in Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Dogs.

C-terminal tensin-like (tensin-4/TNS4/CTEN) is the fourth member of the tensin family, frequently described as displaying oncological functions, including cellular migration, invasion, adhesion, growth, metastasis, epithelial to mesenchymal transition, and apoptosis, in several different types of cancer. To investigate, for the first time, the clinical significance of CTEN in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of dogs, we studied a total of 45 SCC sections from various dog breeds. The mean age of the affected dogs was 8.

Sensors Network as an Added Value for the Characterization of Spatial and Temporal Air Quality Patterns at the Urban Scale.

Within the scope of the Aveiro STEAM City project, an air quality monitoring network was installed in the city of Aveiro (Portugal), to evaluate the potential of sensors to characterize spatial and temporal patterns of air quality in the city. The network consists of nine sensors stations with air quality sensors (PM10, PM2.5, NO, O and CO) and two meteorological stations, distributed within selected locations in the city of Aveiro.

Investigating the association between ambient particulate matter (PM) exposure and blood pressure values: Results from the link between the Portuguese Health Examination Survey and air quality data.

Introduction And Objectives: High blood pressure (BP) remains a major modifiable cardiovascular (CV) risk factor. Several epidemiologic studies have been performed to assess the association between air pollution exposure and this CV risk factor but results remain inconsistent. This study aims to estimate the effect of short-term PM exposure (average previous three-day concentration) on diastolic (DBP) and systolic (SBP) blood pressure values of the resident mainland Portuguese population.

A Recreational Swimming Intervention during the Whole School Year Improves Fitness and Cardiometabolic Risk in Children and Adolescents with Overweight and Obesity.

The benefits of swimming as a treatment for overweight children are undefined. We investigated the effects of recreational swimming on cardiometabolic risk in children/adolescents with normal and excess weight. Participants ( = 49, 26 girls, 10.

Multi-sectoral impact assessment of an extreme African dust episode in the Eastern Mediterranean in March 2018.

In late March 2018, a large part of the Eastern Mediterranean experienced an extraordinary episode of African dust, one of the most intense in recent years, here referred to as the "Minoan Red" event. The episode mainly affected the Greek island of Crete, where the highest aerosol concentrations over the past 15 yeas were recorded, although impacts were also felt well beyond this core area. Our study fills a gap in dust research by assessing the multi-sectoral impacts of sand and dust storms and their socioeconomic implications.

Evaluation of the experience with the use of telemedicine in a home dialysis program-a qualitative and quantitative study.

Introduction: Assisted home hemodialysis is a therapeutic modality for patients diagnosed with end-stage renal disease who require dialysis replacement therapy and have concomitant health limitations that prevent them from attending a satellite dialysis unit or performing their own treatment.

Objective: The main objective of this study was to evaluate whether telemedicine provided through telemonitoring can improve the ongoing relationship between the doctor, the nurse and the patient.

Method: This prospective longitudinal, qualitative and quantitative study analyzes the impact of telemedicine through an evaluation of the experiences of patients and nurses.

The Importance of Radiological Patterns and Small Airway Disease in Long-Term Follow-Up of Postacute COVID-19: A Preliminary Study.

Postacute COVID-19 has become a relevant public health problem, and radiological and pulmonary function tests are tools that help physicians in decision-making. The objectives of this study are to characterize the findings and patterns on a chest radiograph (CXR) and computed tomography (CT) that are most important in the postacute phase and to evaluate how these changes correlate with clinical data, spirometry, and impulse oscillometry (IOS). This was a retrospective study of 29 patients who underwent CXR, CT, spirometry, and IOS.

Air pollution and tourism growth relationship: exploring regional dynamics in five European countries through an EKC model.

The present study intends to explore the relationship between tourism growth and air pollution at a regional level for five important tourism European destinations: France, Spain, Greece, Portugal, and Italy. Most of the studies found in the literature examine this relationship on a national scale and focus only on the CO pollutant, which is a greenhouse gas but not a critical pollutant in terms of air quality and human exposure. This research focuses on a regional basis (NUTS 2 classification) and takes into account the main critical pollutants in terms of urban air pollution (namely: NOx, PM10, and PM2.

PM10 exposure interacts with abdominal obesity to increase blood triglycerides: a cross-sectional linkage study.

Background: Blood lipids and glucose levels dysregulation represent potential mechanisms intermediating the adverse cardiovascular effects of ambient particulate matter (PM) exposure. This study aims to estimate the effect of long-term PM10 exposure on blood lipids and glucose levels and to assess the potential mediation and/or modification action of abdominal obesity (AO) (waist-to-height ratio).

Methods: Our study was based on 2,390 participants of the first Portuguese Health Examination Survey (INSEF, 2015) with available data on blood lipids and glucose parameters and living within a 30-km radius of an air quality monitoring station with available PM10 measurements.

Association between respiratory hospital admissions and air quality in Portugal: A count time series approach.

Although regulatory improvements for air quality in the European Union have been made, air pollution is still a pressing problem and, its impact on health, both mortality and morbidity, is a topic of intense research nowadays. The main goal of this work is to assess the impact of the exposure to air pollutants on the number of daily hospital admissions due to respiratory causes in 58 spatial locations of Portugal mainland, during the period 2005-2017. To this end, INteger Generalised AutoRegressive Conditional Heteroskedastic (INGARCH)-based models are extensively used.

Chest computed tomography in COVID-19 pneumonia: a retrospective study of 155 patients at a university hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Objective: To define diagnostic criteria for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on computed tomography (CT); to study the correlation between CT and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing for infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; and to determine whether the extent of parenchymal involvement and the need for mechanical ventilation are associated with the CT findings and clinical characteristics of patients with COVID-19.

Materials And Methods: This was a retrospective study of 155 patients with COVID-19 treated between March and May 2020. We attempted to determine whether the CT findings correlated with age and clinical variables, as well as whether the need for mechanical ventilation correlated with the extent of the pulmonary involvement.

The impact of COVID-19 on air quality levels in Portugal: A way to assess traffic contribution.

The pandemic caused by coronavirus COVID-19 is having a worldwide impact that affects health, the economy and indirectly affects the air pollution in cities. In Portugal, the number of cases increased continually (32700 confirmed cases as of May 31, 2020), which has affected the health system and caused movement restrictions which in turn affects the air pollution in the country. This article analyses the indirect effect produced by this pandemic on air pollution in Portugal, by comparison of data from a period of movement restriction of the citizens by the government - COVID lockdown period (March-May 2020) with data from baseline conditions (mean of the mirrored periods from the five previous years (March-May from 2015 to 2019)).

Climate-Change Adaptation Framework for Multiple Urban Areas in Northern Portugal.

Climate change is increasingly exerting pressure with intensified impacts in the short-, medium-, and long-term. Cities are highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, and it is recognized that they play a significant role in the European Strategy on adaptation to climate change. This study intends to develop a climate adaptation framework to identify effective measures that will be evaluated using a multi-urban area located in the north of Portugal, as a case study.

Impact of harbour activities on local air quality: A review.

Several harbour activities cause negative environmental impacts in the harbours' surrounding areas, namely the degradation of air quality. This paper intends to comprehensively review the status of the air quality measured in harbour areas. The published studies show a limited number of available air quality monitoring data in harbours areas, mostly located in Europe (71%).

Assessment of source contribution to air quality in an urban area close to a harbor: Case-study in Porto, Portugal.

Several harbors, like the Port of Leixões (Porto, Portugal), are located near urban and industrial areas, places where residential urban areas, highways and the refinery industry coexist. The need for assessing the contribution of the port to the air quality in its vicinity around the port is the motivation for the present study. This contribution was investigated using a numerical modelling approach based on the web-based research screening tool C-PORT.

Ultrasound as a method to evaluate the distribution of abdominal fat in obese prepubertal children and the relationship between abdominal fat and metabolic alterations.

Unlabelled: Abstract.

Objective: To evaluate, using ultrasound, the distribution of abdominal fat in obese prepubertal children, as well as its possible correlation with metabolic changes due to obesity.

Materials And Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of prepubescent children: 77 obese children (33 girls and 44 boys), with a mean age of 7.

Air pollution: A public health approach for Portugal.

At the global level, several epidemiological studies have conclusively pointed out the associations between short-term exposure to air pollution and acute health effects, and long-term exposure with adverse health effects such as premature mortality from severe respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. This study intended to characterize exposures and their adverse health effects. Three independent sets of vectors were analyzed on a nationwide level and annual basis: air pollutant emissions, ambient air concentrations and health indicators of the period 2009 to 2015.

Wavelets-based clustering of air quality monitoring sites.

This paper aims at providing a variance/covariance profile of a set of 36 monitoring stations measuring ozone (O3) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) hourly concentrations, collected over the period 2005-2013, in Portugal mainland. The resulting individual profiles are embedded in a wavelet decomposition-based clustering algorithm in order to identify groups of stations exhibiting similar profiles. The results of the cluster analysis identify three groups of stations, namely urban, suburban/urban/rural, and a third group containing all but one rural stations.

Downregulation of PHEX in multibacillary leprosy patients: observational cross-sectional study.

Background: Peripheral nerve injury and bone lesions, well known leprosy complications, lead to deformities and incapacities. The phosphate-regulating gene with homologies to endopeptidase on the X chromosome (PHEX) encodes a homonymous protein (PHEX) implicated in bone metabolism. PHEX/PHEX alterations may result in bone and cartilage lesions.

Atmospheric Emissions from Forest Biomass Residues to Energy Supply Chain: A Case Study in Portugal.

During the past decades, pressures on global environment and energy security have led to an increasing demand on renewable energy sources and diversification of the world's energy supply. The Portuguese energy strategy considers the use of Forest Biomass Residues (FBR) to energy as being essential to accomplish the goals established in the National Energy Strategy for 2020. However, despite the advantages pointing to FBR to the energy supply chain, few studies have evaluated the potential impacts on air quality.