Publications by authors named "P Sa Couto"

Vaccination is one of the most effective measures to prevent influenza illness and its complications. Since the 1980s, countries and territories in the Americas have progressively implemented influenza vaccination operations in high-risk priority groups-such as older adults, pregnant persons, persons with comorbidities and health workers. In this review, we present the history and progress of the seasonal influenza program in the Americas, how the program contributed to the efficient and timely roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic, and how the program can be used to promote immunization operations across the life span for existing and future vaccines.

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Background: Oral health represents a public health problem due to its remarkable social impact and medical costs. Crenotherapy with sulfur water is shown to be a complementary, less toxic, and traumatizing therapy, but the number of studies that evaluate the effect of natural mineral waters effect on oral health are scarce. The aim of this pilot study is to evaluate the impact of thermal water therapy on the oral health of the participants, assessing parameters such as plaque index, gingival bleeding index and periodontal probing depth as well on the perception of symptoms of oral mucosa diseases (OMD).

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Article Synopsis
  • South American countries recommend annual influenza vaccination for high-risk groups, including young children, those with preexisting health conditions, and older adults, to reduce morbidity and mortality.
  • Interim estimates from a study conducted in March-July 2024 showed that out of 11,751 influenza-associated severe acute respiratory illness cases, 21.3% of patients were vaccinated, with an adjusted vaccine effectiveness (VE) of 34.5% against hospitalization.
  • The vaccine was particularly effective against subtype A(H3N2) at 36.5% and A(H1N1)pdm09 at 37.1%, indicating that Northern Hemisphere countries should prepare for robust vaccination campaigns and early
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With a growing focus on environmentally friendly solutions, biosurfactants derived from plants or microorganisms have gained attention for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) applications. Biosurfactants offer several advantages over existing options, including biodegradability, low toxicity, availability of raw materials, resistance to harsh reservoir conditions, and improved water/oil interfacial tension reduction. Different organisms, such as bacteria, fungi, and plants, can produce these natural surfactants.

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N-glycosylation is the most common protein modification in the eukaryotic secretory pathway. It involves the attachment a high mannose glycan to Asn residues in the context of Asn-X-Ser/Thr/Cys, a motif known as N-glycosylation sequon. This process is mediated by STT3A and STT3B, the catalytic subunits of the oligosaccharyltransferase complexes.

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