Endocr Metab Immune Disord Drug Targets
December 2023
There is an ongoing effort to increase rare disease awareness amongst healthcare providers. This front is important and can help to address several challenges faced by rare disease patients, such as lengthy diagnosis times, difficulty in finding adequate providers of medical services and experts, and adequate treatment if one exists. On another front, there is the need for awareness among citizens and their support in the advocacy for public policies towards rare disease patients and families.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLong-term monitoring of zooplankton assemblages provides essential knowledge to assess key factors impacting marine ecosystems. Despite the importance of this type of data, monitoring stations worldwide are spatially and temporally limited due to the difficulty of maintaining them. In the northeastern Atlantic area, Cascais-Watch is one monitoring site operating since 2005, despite some constraints throughout the years, and has allowed the collection of important data on the zooplankton communities of the area.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction And Objectives: Current epidemiological data on heart failure (HF) in Portugal derives from studies conducted two decades ago. The main aim of this study is to determine HF prevalence in the Portuguese population. Using current standards, this manuscript aims to describe the methodology and research protocol applied.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStudies have reported that children with Congenital Zika Syndrome (CZS) experience changes in their sleep patterns, which can result in mood disturbances, behavioral issues and delays in growth and development. This systematic review synthesized the available evidence on the prevalence of sleep disorders in children with CZS. Eligible studies were those with an observational design that reported sleep disorders in children with CZS using validated questionnaires, polysomnography/electroencephalographic recording or parent/caregiver reports.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFComplex, chronic or hard-to-heal wounds are a prevalent health problem worldwide, with significant physical, psychological and social consequences. This study aims to identify factors associated with the healing process of these wounds and develop a mobile application for wound care that incorporates these factors. A prospective multicentre cohort study was conducted in nine health units in Portugal, involving data collection through a mobile application by nurses from April to October 2022.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHealth professionals are able to improve the care quality of chronic wounds by monitoring and reporting the wound status. Resorting to visual representations of wound status enhances comprehension by facilitating knowledge transfer to all stakeholders. However, selecting appropriate healthcare data visualisations is a critical challenge and healthcare platforms must be designed to meet their users' needs and constraints.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGraefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol
September 2023
Purpose: Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a rare inherited disease affecting collagen-rich tissues. Ocular complications have been reported such as thin corneas, low ocular rigidity, keratoconus, among others. The purpose of this study is to characterize corneal tomographic features in OI patients compared to unaffected patients, with particular focus on commonly studied keratoconus indices.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFComplex or hard-to-heal wounds continue to be a challenge because of the negative impact they have on patients, caregivers, and all the associated costs. This study aimed to identify prognostic factors for the delayed healing of complex wounds. Five databases and grey literature were the sources used to research adults with pressure ulcers/injuries, venous leg ulcers, critical limb-threatening ischaemia, or diabetic foot ulcers and report the prognostic factors for delayed healing in all care settings.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF(1) Background: The high prevalence of persons with wounds and its consequences for a person's quality of life makes the issue a relevant focus of attention for healthcare professionals. Through prognostic factors for healing, the individual risk of complications can be predicted, is possible to predict imminent delays and guide decision-making, thus helping healthcare professionals. (2) Methods: A scoping review performed according to JBI methodology and guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist will aim to identify the studies that meet predefined eligibility criteria.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the essential oil and its association with chlorhexidine on cariogenic microcosm biofilm composition and acidogenicity. Minimum inhibitory and bactericide concentrations from the essential oil and chlorhexidine were determined by broth microdilution assay. Microcosms (polymicrobial) biofilms were produced on glass coverslips, using inoculum from human saliva in McBain culture medium (0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFZootaxa
September 2022
The Serra dos rgos National Park (PARNASO) is a federal conservation unit located in Rio de Janeiro State, within the Atlantic Forest biome. This biome is one of the worlds biodiversity hotspots and has high diversity and endemism of caddisfly taxa. Here, we present a checklist of caddisflies from PARNASO, including the description of two new species of Ochrotrichia Mosely (Hydroptilidae).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) generally appears to have milder clinical symptoms and fewer laboratory abnormalities in children. It remains unknown whether children and young people with inflammatory chronic diseases who acquire SARS-CoV-2 infection have a more severe course, due to either underlying disease or immunosuppressive treatments.
Objectives: To assess the epidemiological features and clinical outcomes of children and young people with inflammatory chronic diseases followed at Pediatric Rheumatology Clinics who were infected with SARS-CoV-2.
Objectives: The performance of a new point-of-care CE-IVD-marked isothermal lab-on-phone COVID-19 assay was assessed in comparison to a gold standard real-time reverse transcriptase-PCR method.
Methods: The study was conducted following a nonprobability sampling of ≥16-year-old volunteers from three different laboratories, using direct mouthwash (N = 24) or nasopharyngeal (N = 191) clinical samples.
Results: The assay demonstrated 95.
Prcis: The PAUL Glaucoma Implant is an effective intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering device with an acceptable safety profile. Its design as a nonvalved device with a small tube diameter using a vicryl ligation suture around the tube that is posteriorly reabsorbed instead of an ab luminal stent makes it an option in cases selected for glaucoma drainage device implantation.
Purpose: The aim was to determine the 1-year efficacy and safety of PAUL Glaucoma Implant using a uniform, standardized surgical procedure.
Natural deep eutectic solvents (NADESs) are considered as green solvents, and due to their promising sustainability, they have been applied in many research fields. In this study, the main goal is to use various NADES systems to replace the traditional solvents used in conservation and restoration to remove varnish layers in a painting. The toxicity of traditional solvents, such as toluene or acetone, is well known in the chemistry field.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: To assess the efficacy and safety of supplementing topical cyclosporine A (CsA) to topical corticosteroids (CS), in the prophylaxis and treatment of corneal graft rejection following penetrating keratoplasty (PK).
Methods: Meta-analysis. Search was performed in PubMed, CENTRAL, ClinicalTrials.
Regulatory T-cells (T) are central in the maintenance of homeostasis and resolution of inflammation. However, the mechanisms that govern their differentiation and function are not completely understood. Herein, we demonstrate a central role for the lipid mediator biosynthetic enzyme 15-lipoxygenase (ALOX15) in regulating key aspects of T biology.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: To compare outcomes of primary trabeculectomy using either mitomycin C (MMC) alone versus MMC augmented with intracamerular bevacizumab in patients with open-angle glaucoma.
Methods: Retrospective, cohort, two-centre, comparative study. Patients' data were screened between October 2015 and March 2019, with inclusion requiring a minimum follow-up of 24 months.
Cochrane Database Syst Rev
April 2021
Background: This is an update of a Cochrane Review first published in 2005. Cervical dystonia is the most common form of focal dystonia and is a highly disabling movement disorder, characterised by involuntary, usually painful, head posturing. Currently, botulinum toxin type A (BtA) is considered the first line therapy for this condition.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF: The curvature of the anterior corneal surface is traditionally used as a surrogate to estimate corneal astigmatism. In recent years, increasing importance has been attributed to posterior corneal astigmatism as an indicator. Our aim is to characterize the posterior corneal surface in a population with keratoconus and investigate its predictive value to keratoconus progression.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: This is an update of a Cochrane Review, first published in 2005. Hemifacial spasm (HFS) is characterised by unilateral, involuntary contractions of the muscles innervated by the facial nerve. It is a chronic disorder, and spontaneous recovery is very rare.
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