Respiratory syncytial virus vaccination in older adults and patients with chronic disorders: A position paper from the Portuguese Society of Pulmonology, the Portuguese Association of General and Family Medicine, the Portuguese Society of Cardiology, the Portuguese Society of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, the Portuguese Society of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, and the Portuguese Society of Internal Medicine.

Background: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an important cause of lower respiratory tract infection, hospitalisation and death in adults.

Methods: Based on evidence regarding the impact of RSV on adult populations at risk for severe infection and the efficacy and safety of RSV vaccines, the Portuguese Society of Pulmonology, the Portuguese Association of General and Family Medicine, the Portuguese Society of Cardiology, the Portuguese Society of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, the Portuguese Society of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, and the Portuguese Society of Internal Medicine endorses this position paper with recommendations to prevent RSV-associated disease and its complications in adults through vaccination.

Conclusion: The RSV vaccine is recommended for people aged ≥50 years with risk factors (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, heart failure, coronary artery disease, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, chronic liver disease, immunocompromise, frailty, dementia, and residence in a nursing home) and all persons aged ≥60 years.

Synthesizing and assessing influenza vaccine evidence: Strengths and limitations of the recent ECDC report on the effectiveness of new and enhanced influenza vaccines. Communication on: the "European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Systematic review update on the efficacy, effectiveness and safety of newer and enhanced seasonal influenza vaccines for the prevention of laboratory confirmed influenza in individuals aged 18 years and over. Stockholm: ECDC; 2024".

High quality research is critical for evidence-based decision making in public health and fundamental to maintain progress and trust in immunization programs in Europe. In 2024 the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) conducted an update of the 2020 systematic review to capture more recent evidence on of the efficacy, effectiveness of influenza vaccines in individuals aged 18 years and older in the prevention of laboratory-confirmed influenza. While this report was highly anticipated due to the strength of the protocol and processes put in place, during our assessment, we expressed two chief concerns.

C-reactive Protein Variation and Its Usefulness in the Prognostication and Monitoring of Patients With Pneumococcal Pneumonia.

Background and objective Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a prevalent and life-threatening infection that causes significant morbidity and mortality. Biomarkers, such as C-reactive protein (CRP), can help to diagnose, monitor, and prognose patients with this condition. This study aimed to analyze the disease course, the CRP peak concentration, its relationship with prognosis, and its variation in hospitalized patients with pneumococcal CAP.

Advance care planning in patients with respiratory failure.

Advance care planning (ACP) is a complex and iterative communication process between patients, surrogates and clinicians that defines goals of care that may include, but is not limited to, documentation of advance directives. The aim of ACP is to promote patient-centred care tailored to the patient's clinical situation through informed preparation for the future and improved communication between patient, clinicians and surrogates, if the latter need to make decisions on patient's behalf.The aim of this article is to review research related to ACP in acute and chronic respiratory failure, regarding the process, communication, shared decision-making, implementation and outcomes.

Medications to Modify Aspiration Risk: Those That Add to Risk and Those That May Reduce Risk.

Aspiration pneumonia results from the abnormal entry of fluids into the respiratory tract. We present a review of drugs known to affect the risk of aspiration. Drugs that increase the risk of aspiration pneumonia can be broadly divided into those that affect protective reflexes (like cough and swallowing) due to direct or indirect mechanisms, and drugs that facilitate gastric dysbiosis or affect esophageal and intestinal motility.

Cost-effectiveness of lung cancer screening with volume computed tomography in Portugal.

Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death in Portugal. The Dutch-Belgian lung cancer screening (LCS) study (NELSON), the biggest European LCS study, showed a lung cancer mortality reduction in a high-risk population when being screened. In this study, the cost-effectiveness of LCS, based on the NELSON study protocol and outcomes, was evaluated compared with no screening in Portugal.

Sociodemographic, Clinical, and Behavioral Factors Associated with Sexual Transmitted Infection among HIV-1 Positive Migrants in Portugal: Are There Differences between Sexes?

Introduction: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) continue to occur at high levels. According to the WHO, each year there are an estimated 374 million new infections with syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and trichomoniasis. STIs are associated with an increased risk of acquiring HIV infection.

Results Of Minimally Invasive Vats Thymectomy In Miastenia Gravis Patients Compared With More Invasive Approaches - 10-Year Experience In A Single Center.

Introduction: Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune, neurologic disease that causes a wide range of symptoms. While the transsternal, transcervical and thoracotomy approaches are accepted as effective, there is still debate regarding the VATS approach.

Materials And Methods: We analyzed our center's surgical experience with thymectomy for myasthenia gravis, comparing the results of patients operated on using VATS and more invasive approaches, over a period of 10 years.

Determinants of HIV late presentation among men who have sex with men in Portugal (2014-2019): who's being left behind?

Introduction: HIV late presentation (LP) remains excessive in Europe. We aimed to analyze the factors associated with late presentation in the MSM population newly diagnosed with HIV in Portugal between 2014 and 2019.

Methods: We included 391 newly HIV-1 diagnosed Men who have Sex with Men (MSM), from the BESTHOPE project, in 17 countrywide Portuguese hospitals.

Innovative 3d-Printed Prosthesis In A Rare Case Of A Huge Mass Of Anterior Thoracic Wall - Low Grade Fibromyxoid Sarcoma (Lgfms).

The need for complete resection of chest wall tumors creates a huge challenge in terms of reconstructing the complex dynamics of the thorax. We are reporting a case of a low-grade fibromyxoid sarcoma (LGFMS) diagnosed in a young male, where the complete resection of the mass, sternum and parcially the pericardium was performed. Subsequently, a composite porous high-density polyethylene StarPore® prosthesis of the sternum and costal arches was used and the latissimus dorsi muscle free flap with skin graft was implanted over the sternum.

The association between asthma and atrial fibrillation: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Respiratory disease and atrial fibrillation (AF) frequent coexist, but the risk of AF among asthma patients is less characterized. Growing evidence suggest that AF shares with asthma a systemic inflammation background and asthma treatments, such as beta agonists, have been associated with increased risk of cardiac arrhythmias. The aim of this systematic review was to assess the risk of AF in patients with asthma in observational studies.

Uncovering the burden of Influenza in children in Portugal, 2008-2018.

Background: Despite their higher risk of developing severe disease, little is known about the burden of influenza in Portugal in children aged < 5 years old. This study aims to cover this gap by estimating the clinical and economic burden of severe influenza in children, in Portugal, during ten consecutive influenza seasons (2008/09-2017/18).

Methods: We reviewed hospitalizations in children aged < 5 years old using anonymized administrative data covering all public hospitals discharges in mainland Portugal.

Early detection of interstitial lung disease in rheumatic diseases: A joint statement from the Portuguese Pulmonology Society, the Portuguese Rheumatology Society, and the Portuguese Radiology and Nuclear Medicine Society.

Introduction: Interstitial lung disease (ILD) contributes significantly to morbidity and mortality in connective tissue disease (CTD). Early detection and accurate diagnosis are essential for informing treatment decisions and prognosis in this setting. Clear guidance on CTD-ILD screening, however, is lacking.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Psychological Well-Being of Caregivers of People with Dementia or Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the effects of the COVID-19 lockdown on the psychological well-being of caregivers of people with dementia or mild cognitive impairment (PwD/MCI). Electronic databases were searched from inception to August 2022 for observational studies investigating the COVID-19 lockdown and psychological well-being of caregivers of PwD/MCI. Summary estimates of standardized mean differences (SMD) in psychological well-being scores pre- versus during COVID-19 were calculated using a random-effects model.

European Network for ICU-Related Respiratory Infections (ENIRRIs): a multinational, prospective, cohort study of nosocomial LRTI.

Purpose: Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) are the most frequent infectious complication in patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). We aim to report the clinical characteristics of ICU-admitted patients due to nosocomial LRTI and to describe their microbiology and clinical outcomes.

Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted in 13 countries over two continents from 9th May 2016 until 16th August 2019.