Long-Term Disabilities in ICU Survivors of COVID-19.

Background: COVID-19 is associated with prolonged disability, particularly after critical illness. This study aimed to assess and compare disability post-hospital discharge of subjects who were invasively ventilated versus those who were not, following ICU admission due to COVID-19. This study also explored variables associated with long-term disability.

Substrate-Controlled Bidirectional Pumping by a Bienzymatic Micropump.

The development of autonomous, miniaturized pumps remains a problem of much interest, particularly with a view on microfluidics-based devices with increased portability and simplicity of use by nonspecialists. Spatially localized patches of enzyme imprinted on walls have been shown to induce a hydrodynamic flow when supplied with the corresponding enzyme substrate. Thus, such enzymatic micropumps are seen as a possible way of providing the means for nonmechanical, structurally simple, autonomous pumping.

Adaptation of the normative rating procedure for the International Affective Picture System to a remote format.

Background: The Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM), a pictorial scale for the measurement of pleasure and arousal dimensions of emotions, is one of the most applied tools in the emotion research field.

Objective: We present a detailed description of a remote method to collect affective ratings in response to pictures by using the SAM scale.

Methods: To empirically validate our remote method, we conducted a study using a digitized version of the SAM scale and delivered online didactic instructions that followed the normative rating procedure for the International Affective Picture System (IAPS) to the participants.

Current clinical framework on nitric oxide role in periodontal disease and blood pressure.

Objectives: In this review, we explored potential associations between NO and its derivatives, nitrite and nitrate, with periodontal and cardiovascular diseases, with special emphasis on the former. By providing a state-of-the-art and integrative understanding of this topic, we aimed to shed light on the potential role of these three nitrogen oxides in the periodontitis-hypertension nexus, identify knowledge gaps, and point out critical aspects of the experimental methodologies.

Materials And Methods: A comprehensive literature review was conducted on human salivary and plasma concentrations of nitrate and nitrite, and their impact on periodontal and cardiovascular health.

Lipid Fraction from as a Potential Therapeutic Agent for Lethal Sepsis in Mice.

Sepsis is a potentially fatal clinical condition that results from an immune imbalance in the host during an infection. It presents systemic alterations due to excessive activation of pro-inflammatory mediators that contribute to inflammation, formation of reactive species, and tissue damage. Anti-inflammatory mediators are then extensively activated to regulate this process, leading to immune exhaustion and, consequently, immunosuppression of the host.

Long-COVID olfactory dysfunction: allele E4 of apolipoprotein E as a possible protective factor.

Background:  Olfactory dysfunction (OD) represents a frequent manifestation of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Apolipoprotein E (APOE) is a protein that interacts with the angiotensin-converting enzyme receptor, essential for viral entry into the cell. Previous publications have suggested a possible role of APOE in COVID-19 severity.

A Cohort Study to Evaluate the Evolution of the Optic Nerve Head Parameters and Inner Retinal Thickness During Childhood.

Purpose: To compare children's stereometric optic disc parameters and inner retinal thickness measured by optical coherence tomography (OCT) in two different moments in life in the same children and to establish a correlation between the optic nerve head (ONH) area and the difference of these parameters in the two observations.

Methods: In this observational cohort, children were evaluated on two occasions: at 6.7 ± 1.

A comprehensive physical functional assessment of survivors of critical care unit stay due to COVID-19.

Objective: To examine the physical function and respiratory muscle strength of patients - who recovered from critical COVID-19 - after intensive care unit discharge to the ward on Days one (D1) and seven (D7), and to investigate variables associated with functional impairment.

Methods: This was a prospective cohort study of adult patients with COVID-19 who needed invasive mechanical ventilation, non-invasive ventilation or high-flow nasal cannula and were discharged from the intensive care unit to the ward. Participants were submitted to Medical Research Council sum-score, handgrip strength, maximal inspiratory pressure, maximal expiratory pressure, and short physical performance battery tests.

Quality of Life and Well-Being of Adolescents in Portuguese Schools.

The quality of the school environment is associated with greater school involvement and academic success and improved levels of well-being/quality of life. In this sense, this study intends to explore the relationship between the quality of life of Portuguese adolescents and school. 8215 adolescents participated in this study, 52.

Sleep Quality between Nurses and the General Population during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Portugal: What Are the Differences?

Although several studies have described the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly on sleep quality, there are few studies that, in the same time period and using the same assessment tools, compare sleep quality and mental health status between nurses and the general population. Thus, the aim of this study was to (a) examine whether there were differences between nurses and the general population regarding sleep quality and mental health status during the COVID-19 pandemic and (b) identify which factors may explain sleep quality during the COVID-19 pandemic. To do that, we carried out a cross-sectional study in Portugal.

Analysis of Daily Visual Habits in a Presbyopic Population.

Purpose: To evaluate and report the visual habits and requirements of a sample of presbyopic patients using an advanced sensor.

Methods: Transversal study collecting clinical data from 40 presbyopes candidates for presbyopia-correction intraocular lens (IOL) implantation with mean age of 61.0 years (43-80 years).

Analyte Sensing with Catalytic Micromotors.

Catalytic micromotors can be used to detect molecules of interest in several ways. The straightforward approach is to use such motors as sensors of their "fuel" (i.e.

Severe and Moderate Primary Graft Dysfunction in Adult Heart Recipients.

Introduction: The aims of this study were to determine the incidence of severe and moderate primary graft dysfunction (PGD) in our center, to identify, retrospectively, donors' and recipients' risk factors for PGD development, and to evaluate the impact of PGD within 30 days after heart transplantation.

Methods: Donors' and recipients' medical records of 64 consecutive adult cardiac transplantations performed between January 2016 and June 2017 were reviewed. The International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) criteria were used to diagnose moderate and severe PGD.

Bilirubin oxidase as a single enzymatic oxygen scavenger for the development of reductase-based biosensors in the open air and its application on a nitrite biosensor.

The commercialization of amperometric or voltammetric biosensors that operate at potentials lower than -0.2 V vs SHE has been hindered by the need for anoxic working conditions due to the interference of molecular oxygen, whose electrochemical reduction can potentially mask other redox processes and generate reactive oxygen species (ROS). A deoxygenation step must be thus integrated into the analytical process.

Long-covid cognitive impairment: Cognitive assessment and apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotyping correlation in a Brazilian cohort.

Introduction: Few studies have objectively evaluated cognitive deficits after the acute phase of COVID-19 disease. Moreover, the role of apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotypes in cognitive decline in patients with COVID-19 has not been evaluated yet.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in confirmed cases of COVID-19 patients with neurological symptoms that persisted for more than 3 months from the onset.

Sea Snacks from DNA Tracks: Using DNA Metabarcoding to Characterize the Diet of Green Turtles (Chelonia Mydas).

The green turtle (Chelonia mydas) is a circumglobal species with a wide dietary breadth that varies among regions and life history stages. Comprehensive understanding of foraging ecology over space and time is critical to inform conservation and management of this species and its habitats. Here, we used DNA metabarcoding to test candidate primer sets with 39 gut content homogenates from stranded green turtles (FL, USA) to identify primer sets that maximize detection of food items and specificity of taxonomic classifications.

Family Environment and Portuguese Adolescents: Impact on Quality of Life and Well-Being.

Background: A healthy and supportive family environment leads to more positive results regarding adolescents' development. The main objective of this study was to explore and analyze the relationship between adolescents' quality of life (QoL) and their family environment/relationship.

Method: The sample was collected as part of the Health Behavior in School-aged Children 2018 study, which included 8215 adolescents, 52.

Pressure ulcer risk profiles of hospitalized patients based on the Braden Scale: A cluster analysis.

Aim: The aim of this work is to identify the pressure ulcer risk profiles of hospitalized patients with reference to Braden Scale subscales.

Methods: A total of 2996 hospitalized Portuguese participants were screened using the Braden Scale. A hierarchical and nonhierarchical cluster analysis was conducted, with ethical approval.

Real Time SPR Assessment of the Structural Changes of Adaptive Dynamic Constitutional Frameworks as a New Route for Sensing.

Cross linked gold-dynamic constitutional frameworks (DCFs) are functional materials of potential relevance for biosensing applications, given their adaptivity and high responsivity against various external stimuli (such as pH, temperature) or specific interactions with biomolecules (enzymes or DNA) via internal constitutional dynamics. However, characterization and assessment of their dynamic conformational changes in response to external stimuli has never been reported. This study proves the capability of Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) assays to analyse the adaptive structural modulation of a functional matrix encompassing 3D gold-dynamic constitutional frameworks (Au-DCFs) when exposed to pH variations, as external stimuli.

Analysis of Causes of Porosity Change of Castings under the Influence of Variable Biscuit Height in the Filling Chamber.

Quality properties of castings produced in a die casting process correlate with porosity that is conditioned by a number of factors, which range from input melt quality to setup of technological factors of the die casting, and through structural design of the gating system. One of the primary parameters conditioning the inner soundness of the casting is the liquid metal dose per single operation of die casting. This paper examines the issue of metal dose.

Genetic Screening of Patients with Thyrotoxic Hypokalemic Periodic Paralysis: An Experience from a Tertiary Care Hospital in the Northeast of Brazil.

Background: Thyrotoxic Hypokalemic Periodic Paralysis (THPP) is a rare neuromuscular disease characterized by recurrent episodes of skeletal muscle weakness associated with hypokalemia. Alterations in protein-encoding genes that are part of ion channels seem to be related to the development of this disease. However, the pathogenic potential of some variants in these genomic regions is not yet fully understood.

Efficient fractionation and analysis of ribosome assembly intermediates in human cells.

Biochemical studies of the human ribosome synthesis pathway have been hindered by technical difficulties in obtaining intact preribosomal complexes from internal regions of the nucleolus. Here we provide a detailed description of an extraction method that enables efficient detection, isolation, and characterization of nucleolar preribosomes containing large pre-rRNA species. The three-step Preribosome Sequential Extraction (PSE) protocol preserves the integrity of early preribosomal complexes and yields preparations amenable to biochemical analyses from low amounts of starting material.

Electrochemically Synthesized Poly(3-hexylthiophene) Nanowires as Photosensitive Neuronal Interfaces.

Poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) is a hole-conducting polymer that has been intensively used to develop organic optoelectronic devices (e.g., organic solar cells).

Comparison of refractive and visual outcomes of 3 presbyopia-correcting intraocular lenses.

Purpose: To evaluate and compare the clinical outcomes after cataract surgery with implantation of 3 types of trifocal diffractive intraocular lenses (IOLs).

Setting: Hospital da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal.

Design: Prospective comparative case series.