Evaluation of the cyto- and genotoxicity of two types of cellulose nanomaterials using human intestinal cells and in vitro digestion simulation.

Emerging cellulose nanomaterials (CNMs) may have commercial impacts in multiple sectors, being their application particularly explored in the food sector. Thus, their potential adverse effects in the gastrointestinal tract should be evaluated before marketing. This work aimed to assess the safety of two CNMs (CNF-TEMPO and CMF-ENZ) through the investigation of their cytotoxicity, genotoxicity (comet and micronucleus assays), and capacity to induce reactive oxygen species in human intestinal cells, and their mutagenic effect using the Hprt gene mutation assay.

Sense of coherence, subjective burden, and anxiety and depression symptoms in caregivers of people with dementia: Causal dynamics unveiled by a longitudinal cohort study in Europe.

Background: Sense of coherence (SOC) is a disposition to perceive things as comprehensible, manageable and meaningful. Lower SOC is associated with subjective burden and psychological morbidity in family caregivers, including in dementia. However, the evidence-base mainly comprises small-scale or cross-sectional studies.

Low Back Pain Disparities in Portugal: A Population-Based Study Analysing the Role of Social Determinants of Health.

Introduction: Despite growing research, the relationship between social determinants of health (SDoH) and low back pain (LBP) remains inconsistent. This study aimed to investigate the associations between SDoH and self-reported LBP in the Portuguese population in 2019 and explore potential differences between rural and urban areas.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study that includes 13,230 participants from the 2019 Portuguese National Health Interview Survey.

Transition services in mental health - A suitable solution for young patients? A qualitative study of the opinions of adolescent and adult psychiatrists in Portugal.

Objectives: Transition from pediatric to adult health services is a difficult and common problem in many medical specialties, particularly in mental health, fraught with pitfalls that threaten its success and disrupt the continuity of care. However, there is a lack of research on this topic. The aim of this study was to characterize the perceptions of Portuguese physicians who are responsible for direct intervention in this process-child and adolescent psychiatrists (CAP) and adult psychiatrists (AP)-and to explore the possibilities for improvement.

Model organisms for investigating the functional involvement of NRF2 in non-communicable diseases.

Non-communicable chronic diseases (NCDs) are most commonly characterized by age-related loss of homeostasis and/or by cumulative exposures to environmental factors, which lead to low-grade sustained generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), chronic inflammation and metabolic imbalance. Nuclear factor erythroid 2-like 2 (NRF2) is a basic leucine-zipper transcription factor that regulates the cellular redox homeostasis. NRF2 controls the expression of more than 250 human genes that share in their regulatory regions a cis-acting enhancer termed the antioxidant response element (ARE).

Socio-economic inequalities in oral health among Portuguese older adults: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Although the oral health status has improved in developed countries in recent years, oral diseases are still unequally distributed across socio-economic groups. Research on the impact of socio-economic factors on oral health care among older adults in Europe, including Portugal, remains limited. The main aim of this study was to investigate the association between socio-economic factors and oral health indicators in Portuguese older adults.

Concept mapping to promote clinical reasoning in multimorbidity: a mixed methods study in undergraduate family medicine.

Background: Clinical reasoning significantly impacts physicians' performance and patient care quality. Research into learning transfer within clinical reasoning education, especially in managing multimorbidity in Family Medicine, is crucial. This study evaluates the impact of concept maps (CMs) on promoting clinical reasoning skills among undergraduate students, compared to traditional teaching methods (TM).

Postingestive reward acts through behavioral reinforcement and is conserved in obesity and after bariatric surgery.

Postingestive nutrient stimulation conditions food preferences through striatal dopamine and may be associated with blunted brain responses in obesity. In a cross-sectional study, we tested flavor-nutrient conditioning (FNC) with maltodextrin-enriched yogurt, with maltodextrin previously optimized for concentration and dextrose equivalents (n = 57), and to mask texture cues (n = 102). After conditioning, healthy volunteers (n = 52) increased preference for maltodextrin-paired (+102 kcal, CS+), relative to control (+1.

Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation of the Person-Centered Therapeutic Relationship in Physiotherapy Scale to European Portuguese.

Background/objectives: Implementing a person-centered practice is considered a priority in healthcare, and the development of a solid and positive therapeutic relationship is a fundamental element. This study conducted a cross-cultural adaptation of the Person-Centered Therapeutic Relationship in Physiotherapy Scale to European Portuguese and contributed to its validation through the study of its structural validity and internal consistency.

Methods: This study was conducted from October 2021 to July 2023 and included two phases: a methodological study of cross-cultural adaptation (phase 1) and a transversal study to assess the psychometric properties (phase 2).

From Olive Oil Lovers to Mediterranean Diet Lifestyle Followers: Consumption Pattern Segmentation in the Portuguese Context.

The Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) is considered an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO; it is also the world's most evidence-based eating pattern for promoting health and longevity. This study aims to investigate consumer segmentation based on consumption patterns and identify barriers to adherence to MedDiet. Data were collected in 2020 by telephonic survey based on PREDIMED, using a quota sampling technique by socio-demographic variables, such as gender, age, and regional representation of the Portuguese population.

A comprehensive study of common and rare genetic variants in spermatogenesis-related loci identifies new risk factors for idiopathic severe spermatogenic failure.

Study Question: Can genome-wide genotyping data be analysed using a hypothesis-driven approach to enhance the understanding of the genetic basis of severe spermatogenic failure (SPGF) in male infertility?

Summary Answer: Our findings revealed a significant association between SPGF and the gene and identified three novel genes (, , and ) along with 32 potentially pathogenic rare variants in 30 genes that contribute to this condition.

What Is Known Already: SPGF is a major cause of male infertility, often with an unknown aetiology. SPGF can be due to either multifactorial causes, including both common genetic variants in multiple genes and environmental factors, or highly damaging rare variants.

Predictive factors of spontaneous common bile duct clearance and unnecessary ERCP in patients with choledocholithiasis.

Background: Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is the first-line procedure for choledocholithiasis treatment. However, it is associated with a 10 % rate of adverse events. Spontaneous migration of common bile duct (CBD) stones occurs in 6-33 % of choledocholithiasis cases, making ERCP avoidable.

Insights into circulating CEACAM1 in insulin clearance and disease progression: Evidence from the Portuguese PREVADIAB2 study.

Background: Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and obesity are characterized by altered insulin metabolism and action. Reduced hepatic insulin clearance is increasingly recognized as a key contributor to hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance. CEACAM1 promotes hepatic insulin clearance, and its loss in hepatocytes is associated with reduced insulin clearance in mice and men.

HBM4EU chromates study: the Portuguese integrated and harmonized study on exposure to hexavalent chromium and related early effects.

In the scope of the European Union (EU) human biomonitoring initiative, a multicentric study on different occupational settings from several European countries was performed, to provide information on occupational exposure to hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)], a known lung carcinogen. Biomonitoring approaches were used to obtain exposure data to support the implementation of new risk management measures and policy actions at the national and European levels. This work describes the Portuguese contribution to the study, which aimed to assess workers' exposure to Cr, by using exposure biomarkers (urinary chromium [U-Cr]), and industrial hygiene samples (air and hand wipes) and to link exposure to potential long-term health effects by using effect biomarkers.

Pancreatic Intraepithelial Neoplasia Revealed by Diffusion-Tensor MRI.

Objectives: Detecting premalignant lesions for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, mainly pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN), is critical for early diagnosis and for understanding PanIN biology. Based on PanIN's histology, we hypothesized that diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and T2* could detect PanIN.

Materials And Methods: DTI was explored for the detection and characterization of PanIN in genetically engineered mice (KC, KPC).

Quality of reporting on psychological interventions in psychedelic treatments: a systematic review.

Although studies of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy are accumulating, there is no consensus regarding best practice of the psychotherapeutic component. In this systematic review, we summarised the quality of reporting on psychological interventions in research about psychedelic treatments. The design followed PRISMA guidelines and was preregistered in PROSPERO (CRD42022319221).

Finerenone, Obesity, and Heart Failure With Mildly Reduced/Preserved Ejection Fraction: Prespecified Analysis of FINEARTS-HF.

Background: Obesity is associated with excessive adipocyte-derived aldosterone secretion, independent of the classical renin-angiotensin-aldosterone cascade, and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists may be more effective in patients with heart failure (HF) and obesity.

Objectives: This study sought to examine the effects of the nonsteroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist finerenone compared with placebo, according to body mass index (BMI) in FINEARTS-HF (FINerenone trial to investigate Efficacy and sAfety superioR to placebo in paTientS with Heart Failure).

Methods: A total of 6,001 patients with HF with NYHA functional class II, III, and IV, a left ventricular ejection fraction of ≥40%, evidence of structural heart disease, and elevated natriuretic peptide levels were randomized to finerenone or placebo.

Lupus Anticoagulant-Hypoprothrombinemia Syndrome: A Duality Between Thrombosis and Hemorrhage.

Lupus anticoagulant-hypoprothrombinemia syndrome (LAHPS) is an uncommon but significant hematological disorder characterized by the presence of lupus anticoagulant (LA) and reduced levels of prothrombin (factor II). This syndrome presents a unique clinical paradox where patients may experience both a bleeding tendency due to hypoprothrombinemia and a prothrombotic state associated with LA. This syndrome should be suspected in the presence of increased coagulation times (prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time) in association with the presence of LA.

TransCatheter aortic valve implantation and fractional flow reserve-guided percutaneous coronary intervention versus conventional surgical aortic valve replacement and coronary bypass grafting for treatment of patients with aortic valve stenosis and complex or multivessel coronary disease (TCW): an international, multicentre, prospective, open-label, non-inferiority, randomised controlled trial.

Background: Patients with severe aortic stenosis present frequently (∼50%) with concomitant obstructive coronary artery disease. Current guidelines recommend combined surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) as the preferred treatment. Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) and fractional flow reserve (FFR)-guided percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) represent a valid treatment alternative.