Update on Treatments for Parkinson's Disease Motor Fluctuations - An International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society Evidence-Based Medicine Review.

Objective: To update evidence-based medicine recommendations for treating motor fluctuations of Parkinson's disease (PD).

Background: The International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society (MDS) Evidence Based Medicine in Movement Disorders Committee recommendations for the treatments of PD were first published in 2002 and regularly updated. The current review uses a new methodology, including the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool and a modified version of GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations).

Portuguese National Registry of Interventional Cardiology: Official report of percutaneous coronary angiography and intervention from 2014 to 2023.

Introduction And Objectives: To present the report on the trends in percutaneous coronary activity data in Portugal from the last decade (from 2014 to 2023).

Methods: Data were extracted from the Portuguese National Registry of Interventional Cardiology (RNCI) and the numbers in recent years were compared and complemented by information from the 2023 European Society of Cardiology Atlas in Interventional Cardiology (IC) survey, which was administered to the director of every IC department. Linear regression analysis was used to assess trends in activity over time.

Understanding barriers to veterinary involvement in dairy calf health management.

The objectives of this cross-sectional study were to identify barriers to veterinary involvement in calf health and assess knowledge gaps in calf care among American and Canadian bovine veterinarians. A questionnaire was administered to veterinarians, collecting data on demographics, satisfaction with calf health management knowledge, involvement in decision-making, satisfaction with calf health involvement, frequency of calf health record analysis and feedback, topics of interest for further learning, and preferred learning formats. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to assess associations between variables and outcomes.

3D Printing of Virucidal Polymer Nanocomposites (PLA/Copper Nanoparticles).

Metallic nanoparticles with virucidal properties dispersed in a polymeric matrix have gained prominence in the scientific community as a rapid and effective alternative that employs the additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing method. This study aims to produce filaments for 3D printing using polymer nanocomposites based on polylactic acid (PLA) and copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) in different proportions. The virucidal activity of various proportions of nanoparticles in PLA was investigated.

Machine Learning Interatomic Potential for Modeling the Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Naphthyl-Based Nanotubes.

Two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials are at the forefront of potential technological advancements. Carbon-based materials have been extensively studied since synthesizing graphene, which revealed properties of great interest for novel applications across diverse scientific and technological domains. New carbon allotropes continue to be explored theoretically, with several successful synthesis processes for carbon-based materials recently achieved.

The Silent Threat of Human Metapneumovirus: Clinical Challenges and Diagnostic Insights from a Severe Pneumonia Case.

Background: Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) is a respiratory pathogen that has gained increasing recognition due to advancements in molecular diagnostic tools, which have improved its detection and characterization. While severe disease manifestations are traditionally associated with pediatric, elderly, or immunocompromised patients, hMPV-related pneumonia in immunocompetent adults remains underexplored.

Methods: This case report describes a 68-year-old male who developed severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) caused by hMPV despite being immunocompetent and having no significant comorbidities.

Worldwide Policy, Surveillance, and Research on Physical Education and School-Based Physical Activity: The Global Observatory for Physical Education (GoPE!) Conceptual Framework and Research Protocol.

Introduction: The Global Observatory for Physical Education (GoPE!) builds on the Global Observatory for Physical Activity (GoPA!) to address gaps in surveillance, policy, and research on physical education (PE) and activity (PA). GoPE! is a worldwide surveillance system of quality PE and school-based PA that informs policy and interventions and allows comparative analysis so that each country and region can check their status and progress. This paper presents GoPE!'s conceptual framework and describes the research protocol as a cross-continental and evidence-based surveillance system.

Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension: Pre- and Post-treatment Radiologic Analyses.

We discuss a case of a 19-year-old female who presented with pressure headaches and progressive vision loss. In the emergency department, a series of diagnostic tests were conducted, including CT, MRI, and lumbar puncture with measurement of opening pressure. All these examinations yielded results consistent with the suspected diagnosis of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH).

Comparing Different Data Partitioning Strategies for Segmenting Areas Affected by COVID-19 in CT Scans.

Background/objectives: According to the World Health Organization, the gold standard for diagnosing COVID-19 is the Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test. However, to confirm the diagnosis in patients who have negative results but still show symptoms, imaging tests, especially computed tomography (CT), are used. In this study, using convolutional neural networks, we compared the following topics using manual and automatic lung segmentation methods: (1) the performance of an automatic segmentation of COVID-19 areas using two strategies for data partitioning, CT scans, and slice strategies; (2) the performance of an automatic segmentation method of COVID-19 when there was interobserver agreement between two groups of radiologists; and (3) the performance of the area affected by COVID-19.

How well is the female population represented in clinical trials with infusion therapies for Parkinson's disease? A systematic review and metanalysis.

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder affecting both sexes, but differences exist between male and female in clinical manifestations, functional impact of symptoms and hormonal influences. Therefore, representativeness of females in PD trials indirectly determines the external validity of the clinical research in this field.

Objective: To estimate the representativeness of female in infusion therapy trials for advanced PD.

[Medication Reconciliation in Primary Care: Practices, Knowledge and Attitudes in the Lisbon and Tagus Valley Health Region].

Introduction: Despite the importance of medication reconciliation for the continuity of care, there is currently no information on the practices, knowledge, and attitudes of Portuguese family doctors on this subject. This study aimed to characterize the formal medication reconciliation procedures in the Lisbon and Tagus Valley Health Region, as well as the perception of family doctors in this region about what they know, how they think and how they practice medication reconciliation.

Methods: We conducted an observational, cross-sectional and descriptive study, using two observation units: primary health care units (study 1) and family doctors (study 2) in the Lisbon and Tagus Valley Health Region.

Hydrometeorological dataset (2018-2023) from the largest Portuguese reservoir: 2 weather stations located at the shore and centre of the reservoir.

The databases provided for two meteorological stations installed in the Alqueva reservoir (the largest artificial lake in Europe), one located on a floating platform and the other on the shore (approximately 1 km away in a straight line), cover a period of 6 years, from 2018 to 2023. The data available are, the hourly accumulated precipitation as well as the hourly averages of surface water temperature (0.25 m of depth), soil temperature, and meteorological parameters (wind intensity and direction, relative humidity, upward/downward solar radiation, air temperature, and relative humidity).

Burden of Disease and Cost of Illness of Overweight and Obesity in Portugal.

Introduction: The prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased in the last decades, posing significant health and economic impacts globally. These conditions are related to several non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, and cancer. This study estimated the disease burden and healthcare costs associated with overweight and obesity in the adult population in mainland Portugal, in 2018.

Curcumin-encapsulated glucan nanoparticles as an oxidative stress modulator against human hepatic cancer cells.

In Hepatitis B patients, the virus targets liver cells, leading to inflammation and liver damage, which can result in severe complications such as liver failure, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. Therapeutic options for liver disease are currently limited. Curcumin, a polyphenol with potential protective effects against chronic diseases like cancer, suffers from poor water solubility, restricting its pharmacological applications.

Molecules in Motion: Unravelling the Dynamics of Vascularization Control in Tissue Engineering.

Significant progress has been made in tissue engineering (TE), aiming at providing personalized solutions and overcoming the current limitations of traditional tissue and organ transplantation. 3D bioprinting has emerged as a transformative technology in the field, able to mimic key properties of the natural architecture of the native tissues. However, most successes in the area are still limited to avascular or thin tissues due to the difficulties in controlling the vascularization of the engineered tissues.

A data-driven global observatory addressing worldwide challenges through text mining and complex data visualisation.

Observing the world on a global scale can help us understand better the context of problems that engage us all. In this paper, we propose a data-driven global observatory methodology that puts together the different perspectives of media, science, statistics and sensing over heterogeneous data sources and text mining algorithms. We also discuss the implementation of this global observatory in the context of epidemic intelligence, monitoring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and in the context of climate change, with a specific focus on water resource management.

The Quality of Life of Former Portuguese Football Players.

Background: The demands of playing professional football can have an impact on an individual's quality of life (QoL), which may remain into retirement. Given limited evidence exists regarding the QoL in former football players, this study aimed to assess QoL among Portuguese former players according to career duration, career end period, competitive level, tactical-positional status, international status, academic qualifications, serious injuries in career, and current professional football connection.

Methods: The study included 84 Portuguese former football players (48.

MIR124-3 and NKX6-1 hypermethylation profiles accurately predict metachronous gastric lesions in a Caucasian population.

Background: Early gastric cancer is treated endoscopically, but patients require surveillance due to the risk of metachronous gastric lesions (MGLs). Epigenetic alterations, particularly aberrant DNA methylation in genes, such as MIR124-3, MIR34b/c, NKX6-1, EMX1, MOS and CDO1, have been identified as promising biomarkers for MGL in Asian populations. We aimed to determine whether these changes could predict MGL risk in intermediate-risk Caucasian patients.

Diet composition and plastic ingestion in Poecilia reticulata from urban streams.

Fish are excellent bioindicators and can reveal the presence of plastic in the environment. Diagnosing the composition and abundance of polymers in the fish diet makes it possible to evaluate their point sources and possible trophic transfers. We aimed to use the gastrointestinal contents of Poecilia reticulata in subtropical urban streams to detect the occurrence, shape, color, size, and chemical composition of polymers.

Analysis of food supplements and sports foods consumption patterns among a sample of gym-goers in Portugal.

Background: Gym-goers usually seek methods to improve performance, muscle gain, and overall health. One of the main strategies is including food supplements (FS) into their routine as aids to enhance their athletic capabilities and satisfy their nutritional needs. Thus, this study aimed to investigate and characterize the main FS and Sports Foods (SF) currently consumed, as well as the main reasons for their use and the source of advice in a group of gym-goers in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area (Portugal).

Exploring the feasibility and implications of cranioencephalic computed tomography in HER2-positive breast cancer: A pilot study.

Background: Breast cancer has several subtypes, including HER2-positive breast cancer, which is characterized by overexpression of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), aggressiveness, poor prognosis, and high risk of recurrence and metastasis. Brain metastases are a common complication of HER2-positive breast cancer, but brain imaging is not included in the initial staging of this disease. This prospective pilot study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of brain computed tomography (CT) in the initial staging of HER2-positive breast cancer.

Insights into Immune Exhaustion in Chronic Hepatitis B: A Review of Checkpoint Receptor Expression.

Hepatitis B, caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV), often progresses to chronic infection, leading to severe complications, such as cirrhosis, liver failure, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Chronic HBV infection is characterized by a complex interplay between the virus and the host immune system, resulting in immune cell exhaustion, a phenomenon commonly observed in chronic viral infections and cancer. This state of exhaustion involves elevated levels of inhibitory molecules, cells, and cell surface receptors, as opposed to stimulatory counterparts.