Anti-TPO IgG/Total IgE Ratio: Biomarker for Omalizumab Response Prediction in Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria.

Background: According to recently published data, low total IgE, elevated IgG-anti-TPO, and a high IgG-anti-TPO/total IgE ratio are good biomarkers for subtype IIb autoimmune chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), which is frequently refractory to antihistamines and omalizumab.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to evaluate IgG-anti-TPO/total IgE ratio's utility in omalizumab response prediction.

Methods: Retrospective study of CSU patients treated with omalizumab at a UCARE between January 2009 and February 2022.

Free-oscillation technique: The effect of the magnitude of the impulse applied on muscle and tendon stiffness around the ankle.

The importance of the muscle-tendon complex in sport and for activities of everyday living is well recognised. The free oscillation technique is frequently used to determine the musculo-articular "apparent" stiffness (obtained from vertical ground reaction force) and other parameters. However, an in-depth understanding of the muscle-tendon complex can be gained by separating the muscle (soleus) and the tendon (Achilles tendon) components and studying the "true" stiffness for each of these components (by considering the ankle joint moment arms), which can be valuable in improving our understanding of training, injury prevention, and recovery programs.

Surgical Outcomes and Complications of Laparoscopic Hysterectomy for Endometriosis: A Multicentric Cohort Study.

Study Objective: To investigate the postoperative morbidity of laparoscopic hysterectomy (LH) for endometriosis/adenomyosis in terms of operative outcomes and complications.

Design: Retrospective multicentric cohort study.

Setting: Eight European minimally invasive referral centers.

A real-world characterization of a population with eosinophilic esophagitis: looking for severity biomarkers.

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is an immune-mediated chronic esophageal disease, with frequent association with atopy. A vali-dated non/minimally invasive biomarker of disease severity has not been identified. We aimed to determine if sensitization to airborne and food allergens correlates with disease severity, and to evaluate the association between clinical and laboratory characteristics with the severity of EoE.

Dataset on the global distribution of shallow groundwater.

Shallow groundwater (GW), defined as the water table of unconfined or perched aquifers that is near enough to the land surface to influence the vadose zone and the surface soil moisture, impacts land surface water, energy, and carbon cycles by providing additional moisture to the root zone via capillary fluxes. Although the interactions of shallow GW and the terrestrial land surface are widely recognized, incorporating shallow GW into the land surface, climate, and agroecosystem models is not yet possible due to the lack of groundwater data. Groundwater systems are affected by various factors, including climate, land use/land cover, ecosystems, GW extractions, and lithology.

Omalizumab in Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria (CSU): Real-Life Experience in Dose/Interval Adjustments and Treatment Discontinuation.

Background: Data on real-life experience with omalizumab dose/interval adjustments are still limited, as well as on omalizumab discontinuation.

Objective: To evaluate efficacy and safety of omalizumab dose/interval adjustment in a Portuguese cohort of patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) and to characterize those who discontinued omalizumab.

Methods: A retrospective study of patients who started omalizumab for CSU at a Portuguese Urticaria Center of Reference and Excellence (UCARE) was conducted between 2009 and 2021.

Clinical experience of a cardio-oncology consultation at a tertiary university hospital in Portugal: An observational study.

Introduction: Heart disease and cancer are the two leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Advances in cancer screening and management have led to longer survival and better quality of life. Despite this progress, many cancer patients experience cardiovascular complications during and after cancer treatment.

Fallopian tube tumour presenting as supraclavicular lymph node metastasis.

A 72-year-old woman noted a lump in her left supraclavicular fossa with no other symptoms or other signs on physical exam. A cervical biopsy indicated metastatic carcinoma. On the diagnostic workup: thoracic-abdominal-pelvic CT revealed augmented lymph nodes (LNs) in the retroperitoneum; Positron Emission Tomography-CT showed uptake in the LNs described and in two small areas in the pelvis; blood tests showed elevated CA125 and CA72.

Mechanical Principles of the Equine Foot.

A healthy foot requires a well-balanced foot capable of shock absorption, traction, and normal proprioception. Radiographs and venograms are helpful in assessing health of the external and internal structures of the foot and in early diagnosis. Other techniques to assess foot mechanics include force plate and inertial sensors.

Rapid desensitization to acetylsalicylic acid in patients with ischemic heart disease: 10-year experience of a Portuguese Allergy Department.

Managing Acetylsalicylic Acid (ASA) hypersensitivity (HS) in patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD) is a challenge. Data on Rapid Desensitization (RD) to ASA is scarce. We aimed to report the outcomes of our 10-year experience with RD to ASA.

Aneuploidy facilitates dysplastic and tumorigenic phenotypes in the Drosophila gut.

Aneuploidy has been strongly linked to cancer development, and published evidence has suggested that aneuploidy can have an oncogenic or a tumor suppressor role depending on the tissue context. Using the Drosophila midgut as a model, we have recently described that adult intestinal stem cells (ISCs), do not activate programmed cell death upon aneuploidy induction, leading to an increase in ISC proliferation rate, and tissue dysplasia. How aneuploidy impacts ISCs in intestinal tumorigenic models remains to be investigated, and it represents a very important biological question to address since data from multiple in vivo models suggests that the cellular impact of aneuploidy is highly dependent on the cellular and tissue context.

Rapid desensitization to antineoplastic drugs in an outpatient immunoallergology clinic: Outcomes and risk factors.

Background: Hypersensitivity reactions to antineoplastic agents may lead to discontinuation of first-line treatments. Rapid drug desensitization (RDD) allows for a safe reintroduction in patients who are allergic to them.

Objective: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of the Brigham and Women's Hospital's 12-step RDD in a Portuguese patient population with cancer and to identify markers associated with breakthrough reactions (BTRs) to platins.

Prognostic factors for patients treated with abiraterone.

Aim: To evaluate prostate-specific antigen response (PSAr) defined as a ≥50% decrease in PSA concentration from the pretreatment value, as a prognostic factor in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) treated with abiraterone acetate (AA).

Methods: Retrospective evaluation of patients with mCRPC treated with AA.

Results: 124 patients were identified.

Tissue stem cells: the new actors in the aneuploidy field.

The development of multicellular organisms and the maintenance of its tissues relies on mitosis. However, this process represents a major challenge for genomic stability as each time a cell division occurs there are multiple steps where errors can lead to an abnormal chromosomal content in daughter cells - aneuploidy. Aneuploidy was first postulated to act as a tumour promoting agent over one century ago.

Aneuploidy in intestinal stem cells promotes gut dysplasia in .

Aneuploidy is associated with different human diseases including cancer. However, different cell types appear to respond differently to aneuploidy, either by promoting tumorigenesis or causing cell death. We set out to study the behavior of adult intestinal stem cells (ISCs) after induction of chromosome missegregation either by abrogation of the spindle assembly checkpoint or through kinetochore disruption or centrosome amplification.

Understanding the Basic Principles of Podiatry.

Foot-related lameness is one of the most frequently encountered problems in the equine industry. Therapeutic shoeing is a frequently used preventative discipline for the treatment of many causes of lameness. The primary goal for therapeutic applications is to offset the mechanical limitations and enhance the healing environment.

The effect of sex and localised fatigue on triceps surae musculoarticular stiffness.

Purpose: The main purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of fatigue on musculoarticular stiffness (MAS) of the ankle joint across sexes.

Methods: Twenty-seven males and 26 females participated in the study. After baseline assessment of MAS and related variables, localised fatigue was induced in triceps surae using the standing heel-rise test during which the subjects were instructed to lift and drop the heel at a frequency of 0.

Fetal Splenomegaly: A Review.

Enlargement of the fetal spleen is usually found secondary to systemic diseases and is frequently associated with hepatomegaly. By far, the most common causes of fetal splenomegaly are infectious. Other etiologies responsible for this sign are hemolytic anemia, congestive cardiac failure, metabolic disorders, and rarely, leukemia, lymphoma, and histiocytosis.

Adnexal Torsion in the First Trimester of Pregnancy: Diagnosis, Laparoscopic Management, and Review of the Literature.

We report a case of an adnexal torsion in a 27-year-old woman in her 12th week of gestation. She presented with hypogastric and lumbar pain with biliary vomiting and nausea. Upon physical examination, tenderness in the right lower quadrant with rebound tenderness was apparent, and gynecological examination revealed right adnexal tenderness with absence of abnormal cervical discharge.

Caesarean delivery in a pregnant woman with epidermolysis bullosa: anaesthetic challenges.

Epidermolysis bullosa is a heterogeneous group of hereditary diseases characterised by extreme fragility of skin and mucosa, with blister and lesion formation spontaneously or in response to trauma. Anaesthetic management of these patients is challenging with respect to positioning, monitoring, use of medical devices and airway management. These challenges are increased when managing labour.