Vitamin D and Autoimmune Thyroid Disease-Cause, Consequence, or a Vicious Cycle?

Vitamin D is a steroid hormone traditionally connected to phosphocalcium metabolism. The discovery of pleiotropic expression of its receptor and of the enzymes involved in its metabolism has led to the exploration of the other roles of this vitamin. The influence of vitamin D on autoimmune disease-namely, on autoimmune thyroid disease-has been widely studied.

Condylar form alteration on skeletal class II patients that underwent orthognathic surgery: An overview of systematic reviews.

Background: Bilateral sagittal split osteotomy (BSSO) is commonly considered as the surgical technique of election for the treatment of skeletal class II with mandibular hypoplasia. After orthognathic surgery, condylar resorption can occur as a surgical relapse, which may affect the temporomandibular joint. Objective: This study aimed to summarise published systematic review that assess if orthognathic surgery with mandibular advancement performed on skeletal class II patients results in condylar form alteration.

Negative social comparisons and social discomfort in dentofacial deformity: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Patients with severe dentofacial deformities are more susceptible to psychological distress since they are more likely to be emotionally unstable, less sociable and have higher levels of anxiety and neuroticism. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between dentofacial deformity, negative social comparisons, anxiety and discomfort in social situations due to face appearance in two independent samples.

Methods: The sample consisted of 136 patients (group A: 90 college students; group B: 46 patients with dentofacial dysmorphosis that require orthognathic surgery).

Dieulafoy Lesion: Predictive Factors of Early Relapse and Long-Term Follow-Up.

Introduction: The Dieulafoy lesion (DL) is a rare cause of gastrointestinal bleeding. Advances in the endoscopy field have allowed an increased rate of detection and therapeutic efficacy. However, doubts remain about the most effective hemostatic approach, the affecting variables of therapeutic failure, and early relapse, as well as in the long-term follow-up.

Management and Outcome of Solitary Spinal Amyloidoma-A Systematic Literature Review.

Background: Solitary spinal amyloidoma (SSA) is a rare and poorly characterized disease. There are few cases described, and the knowledge of this neoplasm is limited. A more accurate description of demographics, clinical findings, and outcomes may be useful for a better understanding of this pathology, as well as therapeutic intervention, adding value to the research of localized amyloidosis.

Chronic hyperglycemia impairs hippocampal neurogenesis and memory in an Alzheimer's disease mouse model.

During aging, lifestyle-related factors shape the brain's response to insults and modulate the progression of neurodegenerative pathologies such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). This is the case for chronic hyperglycemia associated with type 2 diabetes, which reduces the brain's ability to handle the neurodegenerative burden associated with AD. However, the mechanisms behind the effects of chronic hyperglycemia in the context of AD are not fully understood.

Comparing empathy in medical students of two Portuguese medicine schools.

Background: Empathy is paramount in the doctor-patient relationship being a comprehensive and multidimensional concept. Self-ratings of empathy change across the years of medical education only when the Jefferson Scale of Physicians Empathy is used, with a worrying decrease being found throughout the years in Medicine Schools. As there are only few studies on the factors influencing medical student's empathy, particularly of the curricular model, this study aimed to compare the levels of empathy of medicine students of two Schools with different curricular models in central Portugal, the Faculty of Medicine - University of Coimbra (FMUC) and the Faculty of Health Sciences - University of Beira Interior (FCS-UBI).

Patients' and tutors' evaluations of medicine students' consultations in general practice/family medicine in Coimbra.

Background: Undergraduate teaching of General Practice/Family Medicine (GP/FM) must ensure students acquire the necessary competencies and skills to perform an adequate GP/FM consultation with adequate annotations (the SOAP model) and classifications. So aimed to study and to correlate students' evaluation by tutors and patients in specific consultations in the formal practical evaluation of GP/FM Curricular Unit of the Integrated Masters on Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Coimbra (IMM-FMUC) in the academic years of 2017-2018 and 2018-2019.

Methods: Observational study of the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 academic years of the assessment grids for tutor's evaluation of SOAP performance and fluency in consultation and for patient's evaluation of the student 'performance, in the convenience sample of those who chose to be so evaluated.

The Impact of Deep Brain Stimulation on the Sexual Function of Patients With Parkinson's Disease.

Background: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is used in the treatment of advanced Parkinson's disease (PD) with well-established benefits over motor complications. However, few studies addressing the impact of DBS on nonmotor dimensions such as sexual function have been conducted. This study aims to determine the effect of DBS-STN on the sexual activity of patients with PD and to establish predictive factors for sexual function decline after surgery.

The mediator role of unmet needs on quality of life in myeloma patients.

Purpose: The diagnosis of multiple myeloma (MM) has a significant impact on patients. This study analyzed the mediating role of patients' unmet needs in the relationship between psychological morbidity/social support and quality of life (QoL).

Methods: This study included 213 patients with MM recruited from the outpatient medical oncology and clinical hematology services from five hospitals.

Aortic valve microcalcification and cardiovascular risk: an exploratory study using sodium fluoride in high cardiovascular risk patients.

18F-sodium fluoride (18F-NaF) has been used to access aortic stenosis in clinical research setting. It is known that its uptake is related with microcalcification. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between 18F-NaF uptake by the aortic valve and cardiovascular risk.

Platelet-Rich Fibrin in Bone Regenerative Strategies in Orthodontics: A Systematic Review.

Preservation of the alveolar bone is a determinant in the outcome of orthodontic treatment. Alveolar bone defects or a decrease of their height and width may occur due to common reasons such as inflammation, tooth extraction, or cleft lip and palate. The aim of this systematic review was to investigate and appraise the quality of the most up to date available evidence regarding the applications and effects of platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) in orthodontics.

Orbital Plasmacytoma, An Uncommon Presentation of Advanced Multiple Myeloma.

Introduction: Extramedullary plasmacytomas are present in 13% of multiple myeloma (MM) patients. Less than 5% of MM cases are non-secretory. The orbital location is uncommon and a minority of orbital tumours are plasmacytomas.

Biodegradable versus multiple plastic stent implantation in benign biliary strictures: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: Benign biliary strictures arise mostly from iatrogenic injuries during surgical procedures and various inflammatory causes. Endoscopic placement of multiple plastic stents (MPS) is often regarded as the first-line therapy, albeit not without limitations. Biodegradable biliary stents (BDBS) present an alternative therapeutic option aimed at overcoming these shortcomings.

Distraction osteogenesis in dog with a tooth-borne device: Histological and histomorphometric analysis.

Background: The distraction osteogenesis (DO) is the biological process of new bone formation between the surfaces of bone segments gradually separated by incremental traction. However, the lack of solid experimental studies using the tooth-borne distractor does not allow comparing this technique with the classical procedures. This study aimed to establish the effect of two different activation protocols in new bone formation, with a new intraoral tooth-borne device for dog mandibular distraction osteogenesis.

Renal artery wall 18F-NaF activity and glomerular filtration rate: an exploratory analysis in a high cardiovascular risk population.

Objectives: Atherosclerotic plaque molecular imaging with F-sodium fluoride (NaF) PET with computed tomography (PET-CT) may identify active unstable microcalcification. We sought to explore renal arteries calcification activity in a group of high cardiovascular (CV) risk subjects without manifest CV disease.

Methods: High CV risk hypertensive individuals from a single centre were prospectively scanned with F-NaF-PET-CT in major vascular territories.

Single Word Repetition Predicts Long-Term Outcome of Aphasia Caused by an Ischemic Stroke.

Purpose: Better understanding of clinical predictors of aphasia outcome is of the utmost importance, in patients' rehabilitation planning, expectation management, and further physiopathology understanding. We aimed to identify clinical predictors of long-term poststroke aphasia's outcome.

Methods: We conducted a prospective longitudinal observation study of patients with left-Middle Cerebral Artery stroke with aphasia.

Dynamic Psychotherapy: The Therapeutic Process in the Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

Dynamic Psychotherapy (DP) was developed to overcome the limitations of traditional psychoanalysis, responding to a broader demand of patients who seek help to cope with specific problems in the short term, such as Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). OCD is a chronic disabling mental disorder that leads to substantial distress, functional disability and severe occupational and social impairments. Recognizing the literature gap in this field, and the improvements reported by dynamic therapists who have dealt with patients suffering from OCD, a study on the treatment of these patients was conducted in order to discuss the effects of this technique.

Outcome and long-term follow-up of adrenal lesions in multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1.

Objective: To describe the prevalence, clinical characteristics and outcome of adrenal lesions in long-term follow-up of Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) patients.

Subjects And Methods: We retrospectively studied sixteen patients from six families of individuals with MEN1. Adrenal involvement was evaluated using clinical, biochemical and imaging data.

The Role of Physical Frailty Independent Components on Increased Disabilities in Institutionalized Older Women.

The purpose of this study was to identify the independent components of physical frailty that most influence disability indicators in institutionalized older women. A cross-sectional study with 319 participants (81.96±7.

A Rare Manifestation of Tuberculosis in a Renal Transplant Patient: A Case Report.

Cutaneous lesions in the presence of fever in patients undergoing immunosuppressive therapy are a diagnostic challenge and may represent manifestations of multiple diseases, such as fungal infections, nocardiosis, lymphoproliferative diseases, zoonosis, and tuberculosis. The authors report a case of a 66-year-old white man with chronic kidney disease since 2014 (chronic pyelonephritis) who had a renal transplant in the previous 6 months. Induction therapy was performed with thymoglobulin, and his current immunosuppression scheme included tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, and prednisolone.

Physical frailty and health outcomes of fitness, hormones, psychological and disability in institutionalized older women: an exploratory association study.

Little is known about symptoms associated with frailty in institutionalized Portuguese older adults. This study aimed to investigate the association of frailty with diverse geriatric health characteristics. Cross-sectional data from 140 women aged between 75 and 85 years were analyzed.