Liver cirrhosis requiring transplantation in the context of hepaticojejunostomy stricture after a traumatic bile duct injury.

Biliary injury secondary to trauma is frequently associated with long-term complications. Liver transplantation is rarely indicated but might be the best therapeutic option in severe or intractable cases. We report the case of a 19-year-old male referred for liver transplantation due to biliary injury after abdominal trauma.

Effectiveness of biosimilar infliximab CT-P13 compared to originator infliximab in biological-naïve patients with rheumatoid arthritis and axial spondyloarthritis: data from the Portuguese Register.

Objectives: To compare the effectiveness of the infliximab biosimilar CT-P13 with originator infliximab over 24 months of follow-up in biological-naïve patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA).

Methods: Biological-naïve patients from the Rheumatic Diseases Portuguese Register (Reuma.pt), with a clinical diagnosis of RA or axSpA, who were starting either the infliximab biosimilar CT-P13 or the originator infliximab after 2014 (date of market entry of CT-P13 in Portugal), were included.

Symptoms of anxiety and depression in patients with persistent asthma: a cross-sectional analysis of the INSPIRERS studies.

Objectives: Anxiety and depression are relevant comorbidities in asthma, but, in Portugal and Spain, data on this topic are scarce. We assessed, in patients with asthma, the frequency of anxiety and depression using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the European Quality of Life Five Dimension Questionnaire (EQ-5D); the level of agreement between these questionnaires, and the factors associated with these symptoms.

Methods: This is a secondary analysis of the INSPIRERS studies.

Decision-making support systems on extended hospital length of stay: Validation and recalibration of a model for patients with AMI.

Background: Cardiovascular diseases are still a significant cause of death and hospitalization. In 2019, circulatory diseases were responsible for 29.9% of deaths in Portugal.

Peritoneal Dialysis Exit-Site Care Protocols in Portugal and Its Association with Catheter-Related Infections.

Introduction: Exit-site infection (ESi) prevention is a key factor in lowering the risk of peritonitis. This study aimed to evaluate the associations between exit-site (ES) care protocols and the annual incidence rates of ESi and peritonitis in Portugal.

Methods: We performed a national survey using two questionnaires: one about the incidence of catheter-related infections and the other characterizing patients' education and ES care protocols.

Portuguese recommendations for the use of biological and targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs in patients with rheumatoid arthritis - 2020 update.

Objective: To update the recommendations for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with biological and targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs and tsDMARDs), endorsed by the Portuguese Society of Rheumatology (SPR).

Methods: These treatment recommendations were formulated by Portuguese rheumatologists taking into account previous recommendations, new literature evidence and consensus opinion. At a national meeting, in a virtual format, three of the ten previous recommendations were re-addressed and discussed after a more focused literature review.

Dysmetabolism and Sleep Fragmentation in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Patients Run Independently of High Caffeine Consumption.

Daytime hypersomnolence, the prime feature of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), frequently leads to high coffee consumption. Nevertheless, some clinicians ask for patients' caffeine avoidance. Caffeinated drinks are sometimes associated with more severe OSA.

Monitoring Adherence to Asthma Inhalers Using the InspirerMundi App: Analysis of Real-World, Medium-Term Feasibility Studies.

Poor medication adherence is a major challenge in asthma and objective assessment of inhaler adherence is needed. InspirerMundi app aims to monitor inhaler adherence while turning it into a positive experience through gamification and social support. We assessed the medium-term feasibility of the InspirerMundi app to monitor inhaler adherence in real-world patients with persistent asthma (treated with daily inhaled medication).

Longitudinal Analysis of Antibody Responses to the mRNA BNT162b2 Vaccine in Patients Undergoing Maintenance Hemodialysis: A 6-Month Follow-Up.

Patients on hemodialysis (HD) are at higher risk for COVID-19, overall are poor responders to vaccines, and were prioritized in the Portuguese vaccination campaign. This work aimed at evaluating in HD patients the immunogenicity of BTN162b2 after the two doses induction phase, the persistence of specific antibodies along time, and factors predicting these outcomes. We performed a prospective, 6-month long longitudinal cohort analysis of 156 HD patients scheduled to receive BTN162b2.

Influence of age and gender in the sensory nerve fibers excitability.

Objectives: To assess the influence of age and gender on sensory nerve axonal excitability parameters.

Methods: Thirty-three healthy subjects (21 women) were included, with a mean age of 34.6 (range 21-76).

Cardiac arrhythmias in patients presenting with COVID-19 treated in Portuguese hospitals: A national registry from the Portuguese Association of Arrhythmology, Pacing and Electrophysiology.

Introduction And Objectives: In December 2019, SARS-CoV-2, was discovered as the agent of COVID-19 disease. Cardiac arrhythmias have been reported as frequent but their incidence is unknown. The aim of this research was to assess the real incidence of cardiac arrhythmias among COVID-19 patients admitted to Portuguese hospitals and to understand the underlying prognostic implications.

Determinants of the Use of Health and Fitness Mobile Apps by Patients With Asthma: Secondary Analysis of Observational Studies.

Background: Health and fitness apps have potential benefits to improve self-management and disease control among patients with asthma. However, inconsistent use rates have been reported across studies, regions, and health systems. A better understanding of the characteristics of users and nonusers is critical to design solutions that are effectively integrated in patients' daily lives, and to ensure that these equitably reach out to different groups of patients, thus improving rather than entrenching health inequities.

Contemporary Outcomes After Partial Resection of Infected Aortic Grafts.

Introduction: Aortic graft infection remains a considerable clinical challenge, and it is unclear which variables are associated with adverse outcomes among patients undergoing partial resection.

Methods: A retrospective, multi-institutional study of patients who underwent partial resection of infected aortic grafts from 2002 to 2014 was performed using a standard database. Baseline demographics, comorbidities, operative, and postoperative variables were recorded.

Cardiac arrhythmias in patients presenting with COVID-19 treated in Portuguese hospitals: A national registry from the Portuguese Association of Arrhythmology, Pacing and Electrophysiology.

Introduction And Objectives: In December 2019, SARS-CoV-2, was discovered as the agent of COVID-19 disease. Cardiac arrhythmias have been reported as frequent but their incidence is unknown. The aim of this research was to assess the real incidence of cardiac arrhythmias among COVID-19 patients admitted to Portuguese hospitals and to understand the underlying prognostic implications.

Human Microbiota and Breast Cancer-Is There Any Relevant Link?-A Literature Review and New Horizons Toward Personalised Medicine.

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignancy and the second cause of cancer-specific death in women from high-income countries. Recently, gut microbiota dysbiosis emerged as a key player that may directly and/or indirectly influence development, treatment, and prognosis of BC through diverse biological processes: host cell proliferation and death, immune system function, chronic inflammation, oncogenic signalling, hormonal and detoxification pathways. Gut colonisation occurs during the prenatal period and is later diversified over distinct phases throughout life.

DIGIROP efficacy for detecting treatment-requiring retinopathy of prematurity in a Portuguese cohort.

Background/objectives: To determine the efficacy of the DIGIROP model in detecting treatment-requiring retinopathy of prematurity (TR-ROP) in a Portuguese cohort.

Subjects/methods: Multicentre, retrospective cohort study of all consecutive preterm infants who underwent ROP screening from April 2012 to May 2019 in two neonatal units. Gestational age (GA), birth weight (BW) and sex were inserted in the DIGIROP platform.

Correction to the article "Viscoelastic Tests in the Evaluation of Haemostatic Disorders in SARS-CoV-2 Infection", Published on Acta Med Port 2021 Jan;34(1):35-46.

On page 36, in the fifth sentence of right-side column, where it reads: "Direct thrombin inhibitors (DTI) (argatroban, bivalirrubin) are used in COVID-19 infected patients with significantly lower antithrombin levels,24 or if heparin induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) occurs."It should read: "Direct thrombin inhibitors (DTI) (argatroban, bivalirudin) are used in COVID-19 infected patients with significantly lower antithrombin levels,24 or if heparin induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) occurs."Article published with errors: https://www.

Profiling Persistent Asthma Phenotypes in Adolescents: A Longitudinal Diagnostic Evaluation from the INSPIRERS Studies.

We aimed to identify persistent asthma phenotypes among adolescents and to evaluate longitudinally asthma-related outcomes across phenotypes. Adolescents (13-17 years) from the prospective, observational, and multicenter INSPIRERS studies, conducted in Portugal and Spain, were included ( = 162). Latent class analysis was applied to demographic, environmental, and clinical variables, collected at a baseline medical visit.